Park No. 474
smallest public park in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Park No. 474 is the smallest public park in Chicago, Illinois (and the smallest city park in the state), located in the Douglas community on the South Side. The area of the park is officially listed as the minimum 0.01 acres, rounded up from 54 square feet (5.0 m2). The Chicago Park District refers to Park No. 474 as a "parklet", but unlike other American parklets, the park is a permanent space away from sidewalks and listed as an independent park in the city records. It is within the historic Black Metropolis–Bronzeville District in Chicago's 4th Ward.
The passive park is situated at 3231 S. Dearborn St., located on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, directly adjacent to the university's Perlstein Hall and Wishnick Hall. The park contains no natural features and two manmade features: a 6-foot-by-9-foot granite slab, which constitutes the entire area of the park, and the sculpture Man on a Bench by George Segal. The park is supervised by the nearby Williams Park's management.
History and specifications
Despite its small size, Park No.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Park No. 474” as smallest public park in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as smallest public park in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q134429196. Authority coordinates are 41.836, -87.628. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Park No. 474”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Park No. 474 primary sources, Park No. 474 archive and Park research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Park No. 474”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Park No. 474” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.