Humboldt Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Jens Jensen
Landscape architect (1860-1951)
— Chicago Tribute —
Photographed By Sean Flynn, October 14, 2023
1. Jens Jensen Marker
In 1886, he became a street-sweeper with Chicago's South Park Commission. While living here, at 1141 North Sacramento Boulevard, he rose to become Superintendent of Union and then Humboldt Park. Jensen redesigned Humboldt, Douglas and Garfield parks using indigenous species in natural settings, but he felt his greatest masterpiece was Columbus Park, designed in 1916.
Jensen was inspired by nature and created the Prairie Style of landscape design. Straight lines had no place in his work, he said, because "landscaping must follow the lines of the tree with its thousands of curves."
Jensen championed the network of forest preserves around Chicago, the protection of the Indiana Dunes and Illinois' state park system. He designed many private estates throughout the Midwest, as well as the Lincoln Memorial Garden in Springfield, Illinois. In 1935, Jensen left Chicago to found The Clearing, a rustic school and retreat in Wisconsin, where he remained until his death.
Erected 1999 by City of Chicago.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry
this page online
Location. 41° 54.139′ N, 87° 42.103′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Humboldt Park. Marker is on North Sacramento Avenue, 0 miles south of West Division Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is fairly easily seen from Sacramento Avenue (which runs parallel to Humboldt Drive) but is partly obscured by a bush. It is a short walk from Humboldt Park, which Jensen designed himself. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1141 North Sacramento Avenue, Chicago IL 60622, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Humboldt Park (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Humboldt Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Boulevard System (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named Humboldt Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); L. Frank Baum (approx. 0.7 miles away); Ukrainian Village (approx. 0.9 miles away); Logan Square Boulevards (approx. 0.9 miles away); a different marker also named Ukrainian Village (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, October 14, 2023
2. 1141 N. Sacramento Ave.
The Jens Jensen Marker can be seen poking out of the bush to the right of the sidewalk
More about this marker. The marker includes photos of Jensen’s 1914 plan for Franklin Park and a drawing of the waterfall that would be the source of his Prairie River at Columbus Park.
The marker is one of 80 that are part of the Chicago Tribute series of markers posted around the city in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Roughly 55 of those markers still remain standing as of the fall of 2023.
Regarding Jens Jensen. Humboldt Park, designed by Jensen, is a 197-acre park that can be seen immediately across the street from his home on North Sacramento.
Photographed By Sean Flynn, October 14, 2023
3. Jens Jensen Marker and his home
Morton Arboretum Special Collections, 1900
4. Jens and Anna Marie Jensen (circa 1900)
Jens Jensen and his wife Anna Marie in front of their home on Sacramento Avenue. Note the 574 address above the door; this home became 1141 N. Sacramento after Chicago renumbered street addresses in 1909.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 14, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 55 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 14, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
