This tiny park sits on a piece of land that’s unbuildable, due to its triangular shape and the water management drain lines located underground. For much of its history, the lot was an eyesore cared for, occasionally, by surrounding neighbors. But, in 1977, the Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association agreed to lease the lot from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District as a park. Then the land was leased by Neighbor Space in 2012. It was one of the very first NeighborSpace gardens and has been an open community space since the neighborhood was first developed around 1914. As long as anyone can remember, it has been maintained by the owners of neighboring houses and by the Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association (RMIA), one of Chicago’s oldest neighborhood organizations.
The park is named after Arthur J. LaPointe (1902-1985) who lived in Ravenswood Manor for 34 years and served as RMIA President.
Previously, Mr. LaPointe had served as superintendent of shops for the naval training program at Navy Pier. Just before World War II, Mr. LaPointe led a group of civilian pilots in asking President Franklin D. Roosevelt`s administration to set up a special corps of civilian pilots who would act as ''a secondary line of defense'' in the event of war. He had also worked as an inspector for the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the predecessor to the Federal Aviation Administration.
He taught 11 years as an aeronautics instructor at Calumet High School, then became director of an expanded aviation mechanics training program in the Chicago public schools in 1944. He retired from the board of education in 1968.
And now to find the geocache. It's located in the alley just north of the park.
Congrats to jmsantafe for being the FTF!