The neighborhood park was named after President George Washington in 1880. In the 1920s, the University of Chicago created the community area system of city subdivision creating the area of Washington Park.
Historically, settlement began in the mid-19th century, with railroad workers and meatpackers. Affluent settlers then came and built mansions along the wide boulevards that connected the area with the Loop.
The actual park is located to the east, and outside the official community area of Washtington Park.
The neighborhood contains the DuSable Museum of African American History, among the biggest African American museums in the United States. Historic sites in the area include St. Mary’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was completed in 1897, the oldest African American congregation, and Schulze Baking Company Plant, which was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Fountain of Time, a sculpture by Lorado Taft, is the world’s earliest concrete finished art work, found on the west end of Midway Plaisance. The Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic, the nation’s largest African American parade also passes through the area.
