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Monday 6am - 11pm Tuesday 6am - 11pm Wednesday 6am - 11pm Thursday 6am - 11pm Friday 6am - 11pm Saturday 6am - 11pm Sunday 6am - 11pm

Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground

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Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground

Located just east of Chicago's venerable pumping station, Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground provides a quiet oasis from bustling Michigan Avenue.

Seneca Park began as the eastern portion of Lake Shore Playground in 1907, but in 1915, an armory was built in the middle of the park, permanently separating Seneca Park from the rest of Lake Shore Playground. That Armory site is now the location of the Museum of Contemporary Art. The Park features "Ben," a bronze horse created by sculptor Debra Butterfield. In October of 1988, the Chicago Park

District designated half of the park as the site of a playground in memory of Eli M. Schulman, a local restaurateur and founder of The Eli’s Cheesecake Company. On May 7, 1990, Governor Thompson, Mayor Daley, and Eli Schulman’s son, Marc, officially dedicated and opened the Eli M. Schulman Playground. On May 18, 2021, 31 years after its original dedication, 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins and the Park District dedicated a newly reconstructed Eli M. Schulman Playground designed by Site Design with the assistance of Maria Smithburg, who was the original designer of the Park and Playground

01/25/2026

Snow Day at Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground

12/03/2025

Join Lookingglass Theatre Company on Monday, December 8 for the Lookingglass Prism Series! Get to know Chicago in this fun-filled evening of variety entertainment and conversation including guests Anthony Rapp (star of Broadway stage and screen), Matthew C. Yee (Performer and Playwright), and Chicago Power Couple: Don and Lisee, with special appearances by Lookingglass Ensemble Members, Louise Lamson and Anthony Irons.

Lookingglass is proud to be partnering with Goodman Theatre for their 100 Free Acts of Theatre.

Join us December 8th for LOOKINGGLASS PRESENTS, a free entertainment talk show event with Lookingglass Theatre Company as your host.

Interviewing three separate guests, featuring acts that run the gamut of performance styles and enticing audience participation with simple game show challenges, LOOKINGGLASS PRESENTS is an opportunity for Chicago to meet itself, to celebrate its people, and to gather around joy and laughter.

To RSVP for this free event go to https://r2.dotdigital-pages.com/p/6OE0-B7H/presents25.

11/29/2025

Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Weekend is always so special as we kick off the celebration with our lighting ceremony for Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground. This year the celebration was on Wednesday November 19th starting with a reception at historic Chicago Fire Department Engine 98 followed by the lighting ceremony in the Park. Our special guest to turn on the lights was ABC 7 Chicago anchor Val Warner with a performance by the Jenkins Crawley Music and emcee Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune. We continued a long tradition of a holiday poem written by Streeterville resident Sally Park read by Kasey Foster of Lookingglass Theatre Company and we honored Susan Hayes Gordon, of The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, a huge supporter of the Park and community who is retiring after 38 years at Lurie.
Thank you to Scott Ziomek, Natalie Snyder and the team at Northwestern Medicine who are instrumental in the lighting and the Northwestern leaders, Posh M. Charles, Tom McAfee and Dr. Michael Ruchim for being with us.
Our thanks to Peter Simoncelli of the Ritz Carlton Chicago, Grant DePorter of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group, Connie's Pizza, Eli's Cheesecake Company and fire fighter Ismail I Muhammad with his famous chili.
We thank our host, the Chicago Fire Department, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and the Chicago Park District, 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins and David and Jean Kostelansky.

10/07/2025

October 25th is the 38th annual Streeterville Doggy and Litty Halloween Party and Costume contest! Register here: https://donate.pawschicago.org/event/2025-streeterville-dog-halloween-party/e718471

09/28/2025

Beautiful Sunday at Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground

08/19/2025

Thank you Lookingglass Theatre Company Chicago Park District Nights Out in The Parks for bringing the Ice Cream Circus to Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground
Great crowd!

08/14/2025

Thank you Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago for bringing free art activities to Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground today. And thank you MCA for hosting the 38th Annual Streeterville Doggy & Kitty Halloween on Saturday, October 25th

08/09/2025

Activities at Seneca Park/Eli M.Schulman Playground and Lake Shore Park the week of August 10th-featuring MCA Chicago and Lurie Children’s Hospital

08/06/2025

Thank you The Happiness Club for performing this evening at Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground after a busy weekend performing at Kidzapalooza @ Lollapalooza on Saturday and Sunday. Thank you to Gino's East 162 E. Superior St. for hosting the kids for a pizza party after the show.

08/02/2025

So much fun to bring free Eli's Cheesecake to Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground for National Cheesecake Day on Wednesday July 30th with more Eli's delivered to Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women's Hospital for the on duty staff

07/27/2025

Beautiful Sunday at Seneca Park & Eli M. Schulman Playground

06/11/2025

Opening Day of free Summer activities at Seneca Park and Eli M. Schulman Playground with American Girl and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Address

228 E Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL
60611

Opening Hours

Monday	6am - 11pm
Tuesday	6am - 11pm
Wednesday	6am - 11pm
Thursday	6am - 11pm
Friday	6am - 11pm
Saturday	6am - 11pm
Sunday	6am - 11pm

Telephone

+13127427891

Website

http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/Seneca-Playlot-Park/

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