Suburban Stadiums: Austin Park and Fieldhouse

AUSTIN PARK AND FIELD HOUSE

A recreation tax and a bond issue for $175,000 that was passed in 1954 enabled the to purchase and improve the land that became Austin, Mansfield, National and Palma Lane parks.

was originally nicknamed “The Dump” but that fell out of popularity when improvements were made to the park. Included in those improvements was a field house that was erected at Austin Park in 1961.

New playgrounds were also installed at Austin and parks in 1991 as the village celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the park district.

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In 1997, the park district completed renovations to the park that included new walkways, landscaping and a new sand volleyball court.

“There are only four parks with sand volleyball out of our 12 parks,” said Greg Jayne, parks manager for Morton Grove Park District. “It covers the east end [of Morton Grove] as far as sand volleyball play.”

But the main project involved the construction of a Bike Tech area. It’s an area designed for small bikes and tricycles. It includes railroad crossings and stop signs among other things to help kids learn about the real world rules of the road.

Austin Park also features a basketball court for recreational use and friendly pick-up games as well as a softball/baseball field that is used primarily by little league teams.

Austin Park also has a more adventurous side for toddlers. There’s a merry-go-round toy that’s sure to get kids more than a little dizzy and it also possesses the only spider net – a certain type of climbing apparatus – in the Morton Grove Park District.

“It’s a good park for the climbers,” Jayne said.

The playground at Austin Park gets the most use and Jayne says they have to inspect the equipment at least once a month for safety.

“I look at it as a nice park in the neighborhood that’s used by local residents with a ball field in there, basketball courts and a building that’s used for preschool and camps,” Jayne said. 

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