Upgraded Lewandowski Park is Oak Lawn’s newest jewel

The revamped Lewandowski Park in Oak Lawn now features new plants, flowers and paved walking paths throughout the four acres of land. Fifteen LED lights have also been added.

By Joe Boyle 

Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer recalled that a long time ago the land where Lewandowski Park now stands was once a drive-in movie theater.

“I used to live at 102nd and Tripp and I used to look out the window and could see the bright lights from the movie theater,” Vorderer said. “But this is great. It’s always been unused land so this development is really great for the area.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Monday night at the revamped Lewandowski Park, 89th Street and 49th Court, as park district officials and the mayor were on hand to view the improvements.

Lewandowski Park, which is Oak Lawn’s lone arboretum, has added new eight-foot-wide paved walking paths, 15 LED lights, and trimmed trees.

Dan Johnson, president of the Oak Lawn Park District Board of Commissioners, said the new park was a major improvement.

“They have been talking about this for some time,” Johnson said. “This has been in the works for a while.”

Established in 1966, Lewandowski Park has several different varieties of trees that have been upgraded throughout the four acres of land. The paved walking path now makes it easier for residents to walk, ride their bikes and jog through the park.

According to park district records, Lewandowski Park and arboretum has a number of different trees, along with newly planted flowers and plants.

“This project has been on our radar thanks to feedback from our community,” said Tom Hartwig, executive director of the Oak Lawn Park District. “Our team has been hard at work the last few months to finish this up and we are very excited to show it off.”

Apparently, residents agree with that assessment.

Before the ribbon cutting took place, several parents and their children were walking through the park. A couple of other residents strolled through walking their dogs.

“For the longest time there has been nothing here,” Hartwig added. “There was nothing really here but we listened to the residents and surveys were taken at what they would want to see here. They wanted more trails for walking.”

But Hartwig also stressed that the park is also an arboretum and that soon kiosks will be placed at specific locations describing what trees and plants are in Lewandowski Park.

“It was kind of a challenge with the design because we had to make sure we got around some of these trees,” Hartwig said. “We have wanted to do this for a long time. I think people are going to really like this.”

Lewandowski Park was not that well known in the village, Vorderer admitted. He believes that will change.

The old drive-in movie theater is long gone but the upgraded Lewandowski Park will be a benefit to the community, Vorderer said.

“Now, I heard that a house was for sale across the street and the (real estate agent) talked about this wonderful park right across the street,” Vorderer said. “It’s already done wonders for property values.”