Elgin Alive Series continues with history of parks in Chicago area

Elgin Community Network's "Elgin Alive Series" will continue with "Elgin - The City in a Garden" from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, in the Meadows Community Rooms A-B at Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave., Elgin.

During the 1830s, Chicago adopted the motto "Urbs in horto," a Latin phrase meaning "City in a garden," despite the lack of green spaces or policies to promote park development at the time.

The slogan, however, proved to be prophetic. For more than 180 years, local citizens have rallied for the creation and protection of parkland, and Chicago's parks have served as national testing grounds for revolutionary ideas, programs, and social reform efforts.

Many of America's most significant architects, landscape designers and artists contributed to Chicago's parks including Daniel H. Burnham, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jens Jensen, Alfred Caldwell, and Lorado Taft.

In this program, Julia S. Bachrach, author of "The City in a Garden: A History of Chicago's Parks," will illuminate Chicago's remarkable park system, weaving together themes in social, political, architectural, art, and landscape histories.

Sponsors are the Elgin Community Network and the City of Elgin Community Development Department.

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