Favorite Things – Mills Park & Pleasant Home
My favorite park in Oak Park is Mills Park, a 11-acre green space south of the downtown business district with entrances on Marion Street, Home Avenue, and Pleasant Street. Originally part of an estate, it was purchased by the Park District of Oak Park from the Mills family after the home’s owner, Herbert Mills, died in 1939.
I see many different people in the park – some doing yoga under trees and others sitting on benches, chairs and blankets. Some reading, having picnics, chatting while others typing away on their phones or taking naps. The park is a destination for dog walking and a place where dogs frolic with each other while their owners hang out and chat. Joggers, cyclists and adults with strollers also pass through Mills Park.
There are many apartment and condo buildings in the area without backyards. Residents are fortunate to have access to a beautiful outdoor space maintained for them by the Park District.
Paved paths meander through Mills Park. In the southwestern section, people can literally walk through time by following a stone timeline labyrinth that displays images on the rocks, from the formation of the solar system to the park district’s 100th anniversary (2012). In the western section, near Marion Street, there is a small free library where people can donate and take books.
There are two buildings within the site. Mills Park Tower is a 19-story building with 198 one-bedroom apartments for low-income elderly people. I often see residents sitting on benches near this apartment building chatting and reading.
The other building is called the Pleasant Home (named for its location at the corner of Pleasant Street and Home Avenue). The mansion was designed by architect George Washington Maher for the Farson family in 1897. It is an impressive early Prairie style building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Did you know that Oak Park’s first Thursday Night Out was held in this park in the 1890s? Mr. Farson, the original owner, hosted band parties for the public every Thursday night before the house was built.
I recently took a tour of Pleasant Home. A knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteer guide told us about the house and the people who lived there. I felt like I had stepped back in time. I learned about the owners, the Farsons and later the Mills families. Our guide told us that the land for the house was purchased in 1892 for $20,000.
Pleasant Home has stunning stained glass windows, some of which are visible from the front porch; mosaic floors; some original furniture; and mahogany wood paneling. Our docent made history come alive as we looked out the windows. I could picture the original greenhouse, carriage house with carriages, and the horses grazing on the west side of the property where people now play balls and Frisbees.
I highly recommend visiting Mills Park and touring Pleasant Home. Tours are available on Thursdays and one Sunday a month. The elegant mansion can also be booked for weddings and parties. For more information, visit https://pdop.org/pleasanthome.
Joy Aaronson lives in Oak Park and has contributed to Chicago Parent magazine and wrote the Kids’ World column for the former Logan Square Free Press.
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