HENRY C. PALMISANO NATURE PARK

Welcome to Henry C. Palmisano Nature Park, a dynamic and environmentally sustainable 27-acre park in the heart of Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood. Approximately four hundred million years ago, limestone deposits began to form at this site on a Silurian reef. This provided an abundant source of stone to Stearns Quarry which operated here from the 1830s until 1970. The site's geological significance and history as a working quarry inspired the park's design. Throughout the landscape, you will see remnants from the original site including many limestone boulders. If you look carefully, you may notice that some of them contain tiny ancient fossils. You will also see ancient stone along the edges of the fishing pond. The Chicago Park District named this park for Henry C. Palmisano who helped establish many of Chicago's urban fishing programs.