'Access for everyone': Historic Chillicothe park will undergo $2.1 million renovation

CHILLICOTHE – A plan to renovate Chillicothe’s Shore Acres Park will update the historic property with features accessible to all.

The plan has concrete pathways that wander from the renovated baseball and softball field to Americans with Disabilities Act compliant playgrounds along the riverfront. The design adds features to a portion of the park that is currently underutilized, said Kevin Yates, executive director of the Chillicothe Park District.

“That area is scenic bluff that overlooks the river. There are a few picnic tables and an older road that goes through there now that creates some challenges and safety concerns for us,” said Yates. “It’s kind of underutilized space for the scenic view of the river that it has. The new design moves the road away from the premier river bluff view so we can develop that with the playground and a new pavilion, and create more of a feature space for the park, so people can enjoy the river views and things that come with a nice part of the property.”

Construction is slated for completion in 2025.

Popular through the ages

The 26.5 acres of riverfront property now known as Shore Acres Park has been a popular gathering place since the early 1890s, according to information on the Chillicothe Park District website. Then called Columbia Park, the site was popular for picnics, family reunions and neighborhood ball games. A dance pavilion provided space for Sunday afternoon concerts, and steamboats transported picnickers to and from their homes in Lacon, Henry, Pekin and Peoria.

In 1913 the park was renamed Peoria Automobile Club, and in 1917 a clubhouse was built for parties and overnight guests. In the 1920s the park became North Shore Country Club, and a nine-hole golf course was built. The property became Shore Acres Park in 1930, and in 1948 the land was taken over by the Chillicothe Park District.

More: Chillicothe's Shore Acres clubhouse still going strong after 100 years

Today, the former Peoria Automobile Clubhouse, now called Shore Acres Clubhouse, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is well-used by area residents.

“We do over 120 events a year, everything from the Chillicothe Players Theater, to birthday parties, family reunions, weddings, special events — you name it, it happens there and it's pretty much booked solid every weekend," said Yates. "Then we try to fill in during the week with park district programs such as dance and yoga.”

The park is particularly busy in the summer when the pool is open, bringing in about 25,000 visitors in three months, Yates said.

A plan for improvements

Shore Acres is the largest and most popular park in the Chillicothe Park District. Administrators created a master plan for improving the property in 2018. First on the list were renovations to the clubhouse, and in subsequent years tennis and pickleball courts were added and parking lots were renovated. In 2022 administrators applied for a grant from the state of Illinois; in March of this year it was awarded.

The $600,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant will be combined with money contributed by the Chillicothe Park District to fund the $2.1 million project. As part of the fundraising effort, the Chillicothe Parks Foundations was established to help raise $100,000 to support the project.

While developing the project and subsequent fundraising effort, administrators adopted “Play for All” as the project’s slogan, highlighting the goal of creating a park that can be enjoyed by everyone, said Yates.

“It’s an older park, it’s been around for quite a while, and ADA wasn’t a thought in the '30s and '40s and '50s when a lot of this stuff was developed,” he said. “We are making changes and, moving forward, we are focused on getting accessibility to areas of the park that hadn’t previously been accessible. The playground, the pavilions, everything we are doing, including renovations to the ball diamond, are promoting accessibility and access for everyone.”

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Leslie Renken can be reached at (309) 370-5087 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Historic Chillicothe Park will undergo renovations and upgrades