Welcome

In the early 1990s, when the Chicago Department of Transportation undertook improvements to Pershing Road and Oakwood Boulevard, the Chicago Park District began planning a new park between the two parallel streets. Numerous public meetings were held to obtain the views of residents of Douglas to the north and Grand Boulevard to the south concerning how best to design the park to draw the two communities together.

After acquiring the property in 1998, the Chicago Park District developed plans for a multi-purpose athletic field, a running track, and a landscaped border to buffer the park from traffic. Work on the park continues.

The park honors Henry McNeil "Mandrake" Brown (1935-1996), who initiated grassroots efforts to eliminate alcohol- and tobacco-related billboards specifically targeting African-American and Latino children. Using the name Mandrake to shield his identity, Brown began whitewashing objectionable billboards in 1990. The first of these billboards was located at Oakwood Boulevard and Pershing Road.

The City of Chicago acquired this park property in 1958 and transferred it to the Chicago Park District the following year.

Officially designated Sumac Park in 1973, the property was one of several parks named for trees and plants at this time. Fast-growing sumacs appear in the form of small trees, shrubs, and vines. Most of the more than 100 species of sumacs are found in southern Africa. At least two sumacs, the staghorn sumac and the poison sumac, may be found in the Chicagoland area.

The staghorn sumac takes its name from its thick, wooly twigs, which in winter give the appearance of deer antlers in velvet. The oils of the poison sumac can cause serious rashes. Poison sumacs can be identified using the "black spot" test. The oil from a fresh leaf crushed on white paper will gradually turn the paper brown and then black within 24 hours.

 The Chicago Park District created Honeysuckle Park in 1970 to provide recreational facilities for the previously under-served Grand Boulevard neighborhood. The park was one of a number of park properties named for plants and trees in the early 1970s. Honeysuckles are ornamental shrubs grown for their handsome flowers and attractive berries. One species, the Japanese honeysuckle, was introduced to America by Dr. George Hall, founder of the Hospital for Seamen in Shanghai, who mailed a cutting home from China in 1862. The Japanese honeysuckle soon spread over the entire East Coast, quickly becoming a pest. 

 Chicago Plays! Renovation, Spring 2016
Through Mayor Emanuel's Chicago Plays! playground initiative, 327 playgrounds across the city were built or renovated from 2013 through 2016, ensuring every child in every neighborhood is within a 10- minute walk of a park or playground. 

 Dog Friendly Area (DFA) 

 The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS) demonstrates Northeastern Illinois University’s urban tradition of education, research and service. The Carruthers Center offers an undergraduate and graduate degree in Urban Community Studies to prepare students act upon the expressed interests of the residents of Chicago and to participate fully in the richness of the African and African-American cultures. Our curriculum re-examines every research issue, assumption and question from an African-centered perspective. CCICS aims to build research methodologies among its students to advance their career paths.