Although the Chicago Park District website lists Senka Park as part of the Chicago Lawn…read moreneighborhood, I noticed another website that states that Senka Park is on the west end of Gage Park - the neighborhood, not the park. I always thought of it as part of the Gage Park Neighborhood, so I am not quite sure what the Park District website is thinking. HISTORY This park was named after Edward "Duke" Senka. He was a Phys Ed Instructor and Chicago Park District employee who became Supervisor of Recreation. Chicago Park District website has more details. This park area has really changed in more recent years (the 1990's - - that's recent to me!). It went from being pretty much just a wild, grassy, weedy field with a sign at the sw corner of 55th Street and St. Louis Avenue designating that it was "Senka Park" (when really it was just a wild, grassy, weedy field) to a very nice stretch of park property. I was pretty surprised when I witnessed the transformation of this piece of land. BUILDING It is a pleasant park but rather different than the usual larger parks. The fieldhouse is in Socorro Sandoval Elementary School at 5534 S. St. Louis Avenue. Although the address is on St. Louis Avenue, the building is set back and a bit west of the actual street. Also, it gets a bit confusing because the Chicago Park District lists Senka Park's address as 5656 S. St. Louis Avenue yet their website shows a picture of the school entrance at 5534 S St. Louis Avenue. Senka Park "Fieldhouse" (in the school) has short hours, so I have never had an opportunity to personally check it out. Speaking of hours - - it seems to only be open in the evening. I have only been there earlier in the day and I am not aware of any restroom facilities - - this can be a problem. PARKING There are diagonal parking spaces on St Louis Avenue from 55th to 57th Streets. THE GROUNDS The park has a playground and a spray pool for the younger children. There is a football /soccer field, baseball diamond, basketball court and outdoor track. They used to have some nice tables with seats, but that was about five years ago. I was disappointed to not see them today. It used to be a nice place to sit with a cup of coffee early in the morning. Chicago Park District - Review #2 Gage Park, My Neighborhood - Review #19

Located on 58th Street and Kostner near a school, this tranquil park hosts a playground, a baseball…read morefield, a tennis court, and a volley ball area. Nearby is the school's popular soccor field. A soaring airplane occasionally drops by. The mornings are full of walkers and joggers in small groups. The late afternoons and early evenings have families using the amenities of the park. Bikers and skate boarders get their exercise too. Most people are respectful by wear masks and keeping their distance. The trees in the park are amazing. Throughout the year the trees provide shade and shelter to the birds and squirrels. In the fall the trees change colors. This is a nice park to visit.

The fresh scent of cut grass restores the spirit. Summer begins when they turn on the sprinklers…read more Stepping from baked hot concrete into the cold wet spray of the basin sends a shock. Running wet, into the sandbox, to make sand shoes. The soft applause of trees when the breezes brush through the leaves. Good Humor ice cream for a quarter. The tang of jet fuel being pumped at Midway. That siren every Tuesday at 10 (or 10:30?) a.m. The smell of fresh oil on the bike chain. The field of green turning yellow with dandelions, then white. Those puffy things got everywhere. Fall and winter were ok too. Ha! Edit: Forgot the Southside pronunciation... Pasture. Let's goda Pasturepark.

I've been here plenty of times, it's a really great and spacious park in the Chicago area. Tons of…read moreactivities for walking and the kids to play. It has a tennis court and really big baseball fields. The tennis fields need repair sadly but the place lights up at night. In the hot summer they have a fountain you can go and play in.

I was really looking forward to writing two first time reviews today--well yesterday because it's…read moreafter midnight as I write this review. I already finished the review for a new Dollar Tree that is a block south of here. That turned out to be a disappointing experience. This one turned out to be a dangerous experience. The Gage Park Fieldhouse is old (built in the late 1920's) and can be a bit hazardous. I will get into that part later, but let me share some other things first. MEMORY LANE This is the first park that my siblings and I came to on our own. We walked about a mile to get here for various classes and sports. I learned to use a sewing machine here and tried to learn how to tap dance, tumble and some other dance. We played volleyball here. My brothers played baseball and basketball. One of my sister's really took to tennis. There was swimming in the outdoor pool in the summer. We learned how to ice skate in a rink that was set up in the west baseball field in the winter. The rink came to an end in the early 1960's. THE PARK SET-UP The Fieldhouse is just west of Western Avenue on the south side of 55th Street. Behind the fieldhouse is the outdoor swimming pool and the children's park. Tennis courts are west of the fieldhouse and baseball diamonds beyond tha tennis courts. There is a full block of park space on the north side of 55th Street where I think softball was played but I have seen soccer played there in recent years. PARKING There seems to be some very limited parking in back of the fieldhouse. Most of the parking is on the streets surrounding the park, but be mindful of any parking restrictions. THE FIELDHOUSE The Fieldhouse is large and impressive and old and it is not easily accessible. You have to walk up steps to get in the front entrance. Once you come in the front entrance, the office is to your right. The auditorium is right there. I really didn't familiarize myself with where everything else is - - I have forgotten over the years. Their website gives a pretty nice explanation of things. The one thing I am familiar with is a dreaded staircase that leads to the basement... MY RECENT EXPERIENCES with Gage Park Fieldhouse as Election Polling Place For 40 or so years of my life, I was always able to vote on election day at a polling place one or two blocks from my house. About 6 years ago things changed and now I have to travel well over a mile to get to my polling place : Gage Park Fieldhouse. A couple of times when I came on election day, I had to walk down a staircase to the basement to get to my ward's polling place. I never liked that staircase as a kid and as a senior, I find it particularly treacherous. The one time I came here for early voting, it was on the main floor. So, thinking that would be the case, I came here to early vote today and to take some pictures for my Yelp review. When I got here, I found out the early voting was in the basement. A very nice park employee, Pat, walked with me to the stairs. It seems that the Board of Elections wants early voting in the basement and that there are many people that complain about the stairs. Pat said it might be easier if I walked around the bldg to the back because there is an entrance to the basement there. It just seemed easier to walk down the stairs than to try to find the entrance in the back of bldg. Pat walked down the stairs with me and I thought that i was in the clear, but I got distracted at the last step and ended up taking a fall. Luckily, I am pretty sturdy and aside from a lump on my head, sore right elbow, thrown off body and small cuts on my right thumb and pinky finger, I was able to regain my bearings - - with the help of the wonderful park district employees. Pat and a couple of guys whose names I neglected to get were great at helping me regain my composure. Pat showed me the door that leads to the back of the bldg, which was supposed to be an easier exit. After voting, I did use that exit, but it was not any easier - - at least in this weather. There were stairs leading up to the parking lot and there was ice in the parking lot. I don't really think they want me to come back to vote. MISC PARK OBSERVATIONS The park employees that I encountered were very nice. The park seemed pretty clean. Although there were no towels or hand dryers in the basement ladies room, it looked very clean. In past years, the upstairs ladies room has always been clean. Well, I think I've covered more than enough for this review. At least now Gage Park has a review and some pictures, too. Park District Review #1 My Neighborhood, Gage Park - Review #11

It's an okay park but it is pretty big but Brainerd park is still better but smaller but foster…read morepark is the best place to throw like a party

I grew up participating in the yearly gym shows. We did gymnastics, modern and tap dance and…read moreballet. Costumes were always in mint condition each year. All neighborhood kids were involved. It was always done in excellence. Mr. Tommy was over the boys and Ms. Chapel (check spelling) was over the girls performances. They were done in excellence each year.

Perfect for dogs and might I add, you do see many families here vs just hanging out and for the…read moremost part, it is a kind place to visit. I come here quite often when its time to walk my 6 dogs, and I do have to admit that a doggie park in the area would be better. Although I don't mind this park in the least since it is very dog friendly and the families that do come here are kind to my pets and very seldom ask to pet them. Since I think people should not just assume your pups are friendly (although mine are of course) I still don't agree with people petting for the sake of petting. The park is very clean and I do see that the staff associated with the park try their best to keep it clean. I do at times get disappointed when there is litter strew all over the place, but this is a family park and for the most part is always full of families and others so of course a little litter is expected. The park is pretty spacious so there is something happening all over. Kids playing, the field house, ball games, football games. Something of everyone of course. On the weekends it can be a bit hectic, since this is the time that everyone seems to be out, but still, it is a good atmosphere and the people who come to this park are friendly for the most part.

Pleasantly surprised to see all the great changes made to the park since the last time I was here…read more(about 5 years ago). A new outdoor children's play area is the biggest change to the park. I remember the last time I was here, the previous play area was very old and broken down. Am very happy that the city replaced it. I will definitely be back to bring my boys here throughout the summer.

My family really enjoys this park and it seems like the neighborhood really utilizes the Chicago…read morepark facility as well every time that we go is several teams out whether it be softball or baseball Peewee leagues out there playing and utilizing the baseball diamonds I counted at least three separate baseball diamonds along with a small playground they also have a walk path that we also use as a bicycle path as well when you go to the facilities part they have a indoor pool as well as a basketball court. We have never had an issue at the park thankfully and we will continue to visit the park in the future

Nice pool, horrible locker rooms and nasty kitchen. Supervisor Tim is terrible. Wouldn't have a…read morefunction there because dealing with the Supervisor would give me an ulcer.

Nice place to relax and fishing Up to the person good for…read moreeveryone and every weather lol for me personally it's a nice place to relax

An amazingly beautiful park along the Chicago Boulevards which linked a series of parks from Palmer…read moreSquare to Hyde Park. Many of the greenbelts have been disrupted by roads, highways, and in one case a prison, yet the heart of the parkway system still endure in these great large city parks. This park is almost pristine. It is truly one of the prettiest parks I have been to in the city - it lacks the build up and major restoration projects you see elsewhere, but something about it is just perfect. But..... There is only one entrance on Garfield Boulevard (55th), and one on the east side of the park. The day I was here the people in the park were nice, and I was able to go for a walk without any trouble. This is a park that reminds me of Humboldt Park in say 1995 when I remember seeing cars abandoned in the park. There were no abandoned cars, but other than the youth events going on in the parks and recreation building, there was not a lot going on - no joggers, etc. It is not that sort of area. My visit was disrupted by dozens of cop cars flying down the Western side of the park (outside the park) at full speed. I was told by a woman who walked past with her kids "there must have been a shooting south of Garfield Boulevard.." before she said "you're safe in here!" I felt safe. This reminded me of my visits to Humboldt Park in 1995 when I was dating a woman who had a friend whose parents had a mansion on the Boulevard which they paid $60,000 for. It was really a mansion. We spent the day walking the then run down paths of Humboldt Park, before our mutual friend's dad said we better spend the rest of the night hanging out in the fenced back yard off the Boulevard. Cities can change, and I would definitely check this park out next time I drive down Garfield Boulevard on my way to midway. Having good parks like this one helps a lot since the kids programs were well attended, well staffed, and supervised as far as I could tell walking past.

There are two spots for chargepoint ev charging. Rates after 8pm is $2 per hour. This park has many…read moreindoor classes available and kept very clean. Highly recommend this park.