
Coast Guard Park
Location: 2490 Dundee Road
Click here for map.
4.39 acres - Playground
- Picnic table
- Sand play area
- Pathway
Adjacent to the Northbrook Post Office, this park site originally housed a Coast Guard radar station and now contains a playground with slides, swings, climbing equipment and benches, in addition to a walking path.
History
On July 24, 1978, the Park District acquired just over four acres of land from the U.S. Department of the Interior after the radar towers were torn down and the property declared surplus.The Cook County Forest Preserve and the U.S. Postal Service split the rest of the 25-acre parcel.The Park District wanted to use the name Olympian Park to honor Olympic speedskaters from Northbrook, but the U.S. Olympic Committee refused to allow the use of its logo.The Park District chose the name Coast Guard Park on September 29, 1993.
The park sits on Dundee Road, which is a state-designated Blue Star Memorial Highway, paying tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces. The Northbrook Park District and Northbrook Garden Club created a memorial garden at the park and dedicated a Blue Star Marker to honor local veterans on May 9, 2002. In 2007, the Park District installed four trees to frame the garden and provide wind protection. Garden Club members planted perennials and annuals to provide continuous color in a red, white and blue theme, with yellow for remembrance. Members of American Legion Post 719 attended a rededication of the site, and the garden restoration won a blue ribbon and the Education Award at a flower show at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

