Schiller Park went through some controversial name changes ⬇️ It started as part of a simple rural grove. When houses were built around it, these acres were held for the future, and the city made it official on July 4, 1867 as City Park. Improvements came fast, including a greenhouse filled with birds and even a full menagerie with antelopes, a marmoset, rabbits, and a bear. In 1891, a statue of Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was installed to honor the “German Shakespeare”. On the 100th anniversary of his death in 1905, the city renamed the park to Schiller Park. But by 1918, World War I was raging, and sentiments surrounding Germany were changing. The city renamed it to Washington Park, and even discussed tearing down the Schiller statue and replacing him with George Washington. The statue survived, but several German street names did not: Germania, Kaiser, Bismark, and Schiller were changed, while others like Jaeger and Deshler still remain. By 1930, sentiment shifted...