In the midst of Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood—an area all too familiar with crime, poverty, and unequal access to parks—is an unlikely new community gathering spot: a bird-themed 18-hole mini-golf course.

The lively, colorful Douglass 18 Miniature Golf Course is the fruit of funding provided by Trust for Public Land, L.L.Bean, and the City of Chicago. The new attraction is located in the 173-acre Douglass Park, an oasis of green recently renamed, at the urging of local students, for the noted 19th-century abolitionist Frederick Douglass and his first wife, Anna. Both the park and the new mini-golf course provide a welcome respite in nature and and a safe community gathering space in a part of Chicago with three times the crime rate as the national average.

The unusual design of the mini-golf course pays homage to the more than 200 species of birds that either migrate through Douglass Park or live there year-round. Teenage residents worked with professional artists, architecture professors, and the Lincoln Park Zoo to design the greens, which feature art and information about birds such as the red-winged blackbird, Baltimore oriole, American sparrow, and indigo bunting. Throughout the design process, teens learned about art, architecture, conservation, local migratory birds, placemaking, and marketing.

The golf course represents a positive development for families in North Lawndale, a once-thriving Chicago neighborhood that has faced its share of challenges in recent decades.

“This is a community where structural racism has taken its toll,” said Caroline O’Boyle, our Chicago program director. “Douglass 18 adds a vibrancy to the park that [continues] to unfold exponentially as people visit the park more often and spend more time there. We were proud to be part of that.”

Helping to create safe, high-quality parks and recreational areas where people can connect to the outdoors and one another is a vital part of our work in addressing inequality in Chicago.