Mitchell Park Gets Name Change In Deerfield

DEERFIELD, IL — Following up on a decision made in June to rename the James C. Mitchell Park, the Deerfield Park District Board of Commissioners last week unanimously voted to call it Floral Park. A number of residents suggested renaming the park earlier this year due to the park's connection to a failed integrated housing development project planned on the site in 1959. The park has been referred to as "Deerfield's Confederate Statue."

An advisory committee on the name change was created in June and the group met three times, according to the Deerfield Park District. Among the names considered in addition to Floral Park were Beverly, Progress, 2020 and Hope.

"The committee did a fabulous job in sharing their thoughts and their positions," said Jeff Nehila, executive director of the Deerfield Park District, while also noting the group is looking to eventually change the name of the Mitchell Pool.

A proposed development at Wilmot Road and Hazel Avenue in 1959 set aside 20 percent of housing for African Americans, but an uproar from residents at the time led to the project being thwarted following a vote.

Resident Debbie Serota, who was a member of the advisory committee, told the Deerfield Park District Board on Nov. 19 that the meaning behind the name Floral Park was that it was the original name of the proposed development.

"The idea behind this is that the name would spark conversation, it would spark curiosity," Serota said. "It would help people to move to begin the history themselves. People also like that it has pleasant connotations."

At the beginning of the meeting, emails from residents, which overwhelmingly supported the decision to change the name, were read. Though attempts to change the name had been made in prior years, a Facebook group called Rename Mitchell Park drew new attention to the proposal earlier this year.

"We are so excited that Mitchell Park will now be known as Floral Park, and are grateful to the Park District Board for listening to the community and making this decision," the group said in a social media post. "Floral Park will now honor the name of the integrated housing development that was intended to be on that land, and represent the hope of so many in our community that we can continue working to make our village a more welcoming and diverse community."

The Board denied a similar request to rename the park in 2015. The park's namesake, James G. Mitchell, was a past president of the Deerfield Park District Board.

Park Board Vice President Jan Caron proposed a spring ceremony to officially commemorate the name change, which was met with approval by the other board members.

"The work is not yet over. Mitchell Pool’s name has not yet been changed," Rename Mitchell Park concluded in its Facebook post. "But this is a clear victory for the Village of Deerfield, and we are glad that the Park District has taken this step. Thank you for all your support to all who follow this and worked to make this happen. This was truly a community effort."

Related:
Park Board Votes To Rename Mitchell Park
Deerfield's 'Confederate Statue': Group Seeks To Rename Park

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