DePaul University, the Chicago Park District and community leaders gathered Aug. 30 to break ground on renovations to a South Loop park: A. Gabriel Esteban, president of DePaul University; Dennis Gonzalez, Chicago Park District area manager; DeWayne Peevy, vice president and director of athletics; head coach Doug Bruno, Alderman Pat Dowell, community member Sylvia Wu and head coach Tony Stubblefield attended the event. (DePaul University/Randall Spriggs)In its early days, DePaul was known as the little school under the ‘L.’ Over the years, DePaul students and faculty have learned, worked and served in nearly every corner of the city, often stopping along the way to play. Soon, a little park under the ‘L’ in the South Loop will have a special connection to DePaul and Blue Demon basketball.
The Chicago Park District and DePaul are teaming up to renovate basketball courts and facilities at Margaret Hie Ding Lin Park at 1735 S. State Street. Located about half a mile from Wintrust Arena, the home of Blue Demon basketball, the park will be a legacy project for the university’s upcoming 125th anniversary. Through this initiative, DePaul will deepen its ties in the South Loop and celebrate the university’s connection to Chicago.
Margaret Hie Ding Lin Park is located half a mile from Wintrust Arena, home of Blue Demon basketball. Through this initiative, DePaul will deepen its ties in the South Loop and celebrate the university’s connection to Chicago. (DePaul University/Randall Spriggs) “DePaul is committed to Chicago. We want children in Chicago to dream big, from the basketball court to the classroom. We look forward to Lin Park becoming a place where the Chicago community and DePaul Blue Demons meet to play, learn and grow,” says A. Gabriel Esteban, president. In addition to a revamped basketball court, the renovation will include a new half court facility, new bleachers, benches, lighting and a drinking fountain. Updated landscape and ADA accessibility improvements will also be part of the overall renovation. Located adjacent to the Orange Line CTA ‘L’ Train, the park is expected to be completed in Spring 2022.
Basketball has been important to DePaul’s history, and will continue to be essential in its future. Plans are in the works for DePaul men’s and women’s Blue Demon basketball to offer youth programming on the site to make the park a destination for future generations of players and Blue Demons. The DePaul community is planning for ways to be good stewards of the park, including cleanup as part of the university’s annual Vincentian Service Day. DePaul and the Chicago Park District will also continue to celebrate the rich legacy of the park’s namesake, Dr. Margaret Hie Ding Lin.
The 0.27- acre park first opened in 1970 and was dedicated to Lin in 2004. A beloved Chinese immigrant and physician, Lin served patients in the nearby Chinatown neighborhood. Lin and the Vincentians who founded DePaul were contemporaries nearly 125 years ago, as the Vincentians sought to educate the children of Chicago’s immigrants. Lin’s memory lives on through the creation of opportunities in the park that exemplify the commitment to supporting the recreational and health needs of the Chinese community.
Dennis Gonzalez, Chicago Park District area manager; State Rep. Theresa Mah; A. Gabriel Esteban, president of DePaul University; community member Sylvia Wu, Alderman Pat Dowell and community member Josh Ellis break ground at Margaret Hie Ding Lin Park. (DePaul University/Randall Spriggs)