Summit celebrates Argo Park revitalization with community art and restored spaces

A coalition of nonprofits, government agencies, and residents transformed an underutilized neighborhood park into a gathering place that honors the area’s history while creating space for the future.

Argo Park in Summit officially reopened Thursday, August 13, after months of a community engagement project that added a community mural depicting Emmett Till, restored basketball courts named after four Division I athletes, and planted trees and flowers throughout the grounds.

The project, called Summit Together Creative Placemaking, grew from a creative placemaking grant that SGA Youth & Family Services received from Cook County Arts. When residents learned the park faced potential repurposing into private space, they mobilized to protect it and shifted existing plans to direct additional resources to Argo Park.

“SGA applied for the creative placemaking funding in spring of 2025 with the vision of an intergenerational community identity and beautification project in three locations,” said Daria Amerik, lead for the Summit Community Network and SGA. “Argo Park was not one of them. This project is a story of genuine community engagement, organizing, and collective action.”

Amerik said the community heard about “the underutilized and somewhat forgotten Argo Park, a special place for generations of Argo’s Black families.” Residents created a petition and worked with the park district to ensure the space would remain a park. “Our community stakeholders and all of our arts partners significantly increased their scopes, and we were able to pivot our projects to reclaim the space for generations to come.”

Mayor Sergio Rodriguez said the revitalization reflects the community’s commitment to its own neighborhood. “A community is only as strong as its residents, and today we see the strengths shining brightly,” he said. “Beautification is not just about paint on the wall or flowers in the ground, it’s about storytelling. It’s about preserving the legacy of the people who have built this community while inspiring the generations who would carry it forward.”

Rodriguez said residents took ownership of the work. “There is no better way to bring life to our neighborhood than creating something with our own hands, and our residents did exactly that — from digging and planting of trees to designing murals and mosaics that reflect our heritage. Every action was an act of love and commitment.”

The revitalized park now features a community mural, a restored basketball court, improved picnic pavilion with a resident-created mosaic sign, new trees and flowers, benches and picnic tables donated by Home Depot, and a bronze plaque commemorating the work.

The mural reflects Argo’s history and present community. It depicts Emmett Till, who grew up in Argo with strong roots to the community, riding a trolley with his mother. Till, known to play in the park, is honored weeks after Illinois marked Emmett Till Day on July 25. The Emmett Till Memorial Center, established in Summit to honor his legacy, sits across the street from Argo Park.

Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar of the 16th district, one of the architects of the planning, emphasized the importance of arts investment. “The arts are very special to me. I’ve been involved in the arts since I was a kid, and I’ve had the pleasure to work with some of the greatest masters in art in Chicago,” Aguilar said. “I’ve always fought for funding. If it wasn’t for the arts, we wouldn’t have a civilized society. I’m very happy to see this project move forward.”

Xochitl Flores, chief of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development, said the project represents a broader county commitment. “Cook County is committed to making strategic investments in historically disinvested communities to nurture talent, promote a sense of belonging and foster growth,” Flores said. “Today’s unveiling reflects the hard work of our partners and neighbors, made possible by two key Cook County programs.”

April Kates Ellison, born and raised in Argo and an advisor on the Summit Community Network, helped drive the community’s voice throughout the process. She noted that skeptics questioned whether the park was even used. “We had to remind them that there are different sides of Argo. This African American community, people migrated here from the South years ago, were employed through corn products. This was an affluent area, and we did not want this spot to be forgotten,” Ellison said.

Ellison also co-founded the Lights On Collective with her husband. “Thanks to the Summit Community Network we’ve been able to get grants and funding, and we’ve reignited some activity at the Emmett Till Memorial Center, which is right behind the park, engaging youth in programming and helping them shine in their best light,” she said.

Summit School District 104 owns part of the land the park sits on. Superintendent Dr. David Negron, speaking from the heart, acknowledged the speed and commitment required. “This project having an aggressive timeline is an understatement. They had an idea and a vision and made it happen no matter the hurdles and obstacles they encountered,” Negron said. “Everyone came together to make this happen.”

Negron noted something rare in communities: residents staying rooted. “Typically what happens is people grow up, move out, but here the roots go deep and that’s wonderful and I’m proud and happy to be a part of it.”

Lyons Township Supervisor Chris Getty said the township has been a steady partner. “I come here as a partner with the village of Summit. The township supports many activities here whether it’s the Old Timer’s Picnic, or N9 and the Lights On Collective,” Getty said. “The township board overwhelmingly supported funding for the gateway project. We have been a partner with the Summit community for many, many years, and I see so many entities that are stepping up and saying we care about the Village of Summit and we care about Argo Park.”

The project extended to two other sites. At Summit Park, preteens created mosaic garden stepping stones and designed mosaic embellishments for community garden boxes. At Summit Public Library, seniors and families worked to revitalize the library courtyard.

The basketball court honors four Argo residents who played there and went on to play Division I college basketball, with jersey numbers and universities featured in the design. Three of the four, Joseph Griffin, Raymond Thompson, and Travon Davis attended the ceremony; the fourth, Tony Davis, president of the Old Timers Club, was unable to attend but sent his support.

The Old Timers Club, which has held an annual picnic at the park for 50 years, is planning its 50th anniversary celebration Aug. 22 from noon to 6 p.m.

Summit Together was led by SGA as the quarterback agency for Summit Community Network, a Cook County Bureau of Economic Development Transforming Places Network in partnership with United Way Metro Chicago Neighborhood Networks. Key partners included Nubian 9 (N9) Social Club, The Lights On Collective, Pigment International, and Ignite Glass Studio.

Cook County Arts is a pilot initiative funded by $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. Creative Placemaking grants are supporting community-driven projects throughout suburban Cook County that integrate arts, culture, and design into public space, economic development, education, neighborhood identity, and community engagement. Unveilings are underway and will continue throughout fall 2026.

The community is not finished. N9 has secured funding for a gateway project at the park entrance featuring a boulder inscribed “Honoring our past, building our future.” Donations came from Lyon Township ($2,500), individual contributor Joe B. Williams ($1,500), Shiloh Baptist Church ($1,000), Total Maintenance Facility ($1,000), and the Old Timers Club ($500).