ROGERS PARK — Far North Side neighbors trying to get a local park named for the Pollard family, the neighborhood’s first Black residents, say the effort has stalled because the Park District stopped responding to them.
Paschen Park, 1932 W. Lunt Ave., is beside the home of a Civil War soldier, an NFL Hall of Famer, the first Black woman to graduate from Northwestern University and the first Black registered nurse in the state. They were just a few of the trailblazing members of the Pollard family, who moved to Rogers Park to escape racial tension in Missouri after the Civil War.
Owing to that history, the Rogers Park West Ridge Historical Society — along with the current owners of the Pollard home — have pushed the Park District to rename Paschen Park to Pollard Family Park.
“This park was practically in their backyard,” said Dona Vitale, a member of the Rogers Park West Ridge Historical Society.
Vitale said she and fellow neighbors have put together a task force, written an official proposal, compiled letters of support and more. The name change also has the support of Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) and more than 1,000 residents who have signed the historical society’s petitions. Now, the cards are in the Park District’s hands, residents say.
According to a spokesperson, the Park District “thoroughly vets requests for naming and renaming of parks and park features” and has been in communication with the Rogers Park task force. The Pollard Family Park name change proposal is being reviewed by district leaders, but there isn’t a set deadline for a decision.
“The request proposal to remove the name of Paschen Park and rename the park is currently being reviewed by the Chicago Park District, and a determination to refer for Board review to initiate the naming process has not been made at this time,” said the spokesperson.
If the park decides to take up the proposal, there is a two-step renaming process: First, the public will have a 45-day period to voice their support or opposition to the renaming. Second, if there is enough support for the proposal, it will be presented to the board of commissioners for a final vote.
Vitale said she was prepared for this effort to take time, but neighbors have grown impatient after more than two years, she said.
“Every time we talked to somebody [with the parks], they were always enthusiastic,” Vitale said. “Then it became evident … it was more than just them being busy. We’ve never been able to get a serious reason from them as to why they don’t want to do it.”
Hadden said she understands residents’ frustrations.
“This is a real grassroots community effort on their part,” she said. “As far as we know, there is no actual opposition to this from the public.
“When communities organize and do everything that’s been asked of them by a government body — these are the taxpayers, this is a public agency funded by taxpayer dollars — I don’t have any excuses for why they haven’t reached a process. People have been very patient. I’ve been patient. I hope the park district can get the lead out and get people some answers.”
There have been successful efforts to recognize the Pollards in recent years. Lane Tech High School recently renamed the school’s football stadium after Fritz Pollard, a standout NFL athlete and football coach. But neighbors say they want still want the park next to the Pollard home to be named for the family.
“We’ve been doing what we were told to do and demonstrated lots of support,” Vitale said. “We can’t get them to officially take it up as an agenda item.”
About 20 residents gathered at the North Side park last week to reignite the effort.
“They are not giving up until they get a hearing and a vote,” the historical society shared in an email announcing last week’s meeting. “That means attending meetings of the Board of Commissioners every month until they act and organizing a series of other local activities to press for action as needed.”
The ‘Inspirational’ History Of The Pollards
John Pollard was the son of free Black Virginian farmers, who sent him to Kansas to avoid the risk of kidnapping and enslavement. At 15, he was among the first Black men to join the Union Army and fight in the Civil War.
After the war, Pollard trained as a barber, opening his own shop in Mexico, Missouri, according to the Rogers Park West Ridge Historical Society’s website. There, Pollard met his future wife, Catherine Amanda Pollard, who was attending school, and the couple had three children while in Missouri.
They moved to Chicago in the 1880s to escape racism and lack of opportunity in the South, according to the historical society. They found home in Rogers Park, where John opened a barbershop and Catherine Amanda worked as a seamstress for leading retailers like Marshall Field & Company.
Together, the couple bought the home at 1928 W. Lunt Ave. and became the first Black residents of Rogers Park, according to the historical society. There they raised eight children and one grandchild, many of whom had distinguished and pioneering careers from athletics to academia, according to the historical society.
Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard was the first Black quarterback and Black head coach in the NFL. He was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. Artissmisia Pollard was the first Black licensed nurse in Illinois, and Naomi Pollard, the middle of three daughters, was the first Black woman graduate of Northwestern University.
Their siblings included the eldest Pollard son, Luther, who was one of the first Black silent film producers and directors in the country. He commonly worked with his brother Franklin Pollard, a silent film actor. There was also Hughes Pollard, a world-known jazz musician.
The Pollard family’s achievements continued through younger generations. Fritz Pollard Jr., John and Catherine Amanda’s grandson, won a bronze medal at the 1936 Olympics alongside teammate Jesse Owens.
The Pollard family achieved success despite the racism they faced in Virginia, Missouri and even Rogers Park. Catherine Amanda Pollard never answered the front door “without slipping a handgun into her apron pocket,” according to a Fritz Pollard biography.
The Pollards owned the Lunt Avenue home until 1976, and photographs, letters and other mementos from the family have been handed down to its current owners, Kevin McGurn and April Mink, who bought the house in 1999.
“We were fortunate to learn about the Pollard family when we purchased the home. The previous owners gave us some materials that were originally in the Pollard family hands,” McGurn said. “There’s always a historical curiosity of who was here before I, but this family felt bigger than that. This story felt inspirational.”
About 12 years ago, the couple commissioned a commemorative plaque honoring the Pollards and placed it near the sidewalk.
“We often see people stopping and reading it, some people pose for photos by it. Kids in the neighborhood, one wrote a book report on the Pollard family and one had his photo taken next to it,” McGurn said. “The message is important now, and it’s inspiring for future generations. It’s not just something dusty.”
McGurn said he and his wife have been inspired to keep the Pollard family’s story alive for future generations, and the historical society’s renaming proposal seemed like a good way to do that. He said there was a “synergy” with park district officials, and they often exchanged ideas and emails with one another — until late spring last year.
“Then it was the ghosting,” he said.
Paschen Park dates back to 1929, when the city leased an acre at Lunt and Damen avenues to the Board of Education for the rapidly growing neighborhood. It was named after Christian P. Paschen, the city’s commissioner of buildings from 1927-1931.
While Paschen helped get the land leased for a park, he was later indicted on tax evasion and sentenced two years in prison in 1932.
Paschen’s “checkered” past is yet another reason Vitale, neighbors and the historical society members feel the park should honor the Pollards.
The historical society has previously helped lead successful name changes of public places, including Helen Doria Beach, formerly Columbia Beach, and Marion Mahony Griffin Beach, formerly Jarvis Beach.
How Neighbors Can Help
Neighbors, the historical society and Hadden shared a few ways residents can support the community’s renaming efforts:
- Attend the park district’s monthly Board of Commissioners meetings, where Chicagoans can share comments and concerns with park officials. The next meeting is 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at the Chicago Park District Administration Building (Park 596), 4830 S. Western Ave. Find the annual meeting calendar here.
- Sign the historical society’s latest petition here.
- Write emails and letters of support to Hadden’s office, which Hadden said are “always welcome.” The 49th ward’s email is contact@mariafor49.org.
- Contact commissioners through the park district’s website and ask them to consider this proposal. Find the park district’s email and contact form here.
- Learn about the Pollard family. McGurn recommends reading “Fritz Pollard: Pioneer in Racial Advancement” by John Carroll. Find it at the library here.
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