Lighthouse Park District

The Lighthouse Park District of Evanston has its history in the North East Park District that was established in Evanston in 1929 as a local unit of government within the State of Illinois. Its formation was due to the response of area residents who were concerned about the preservation or loss of park lands. In 1935, the District became responsible for administration of the Grosse Point Lighthouse site and later changed the name to Lighthouse Park District to honor this historically significant maritime structure. Over the years residents of the District, through their taxes, have helped to preserve park property as well as the lighthouse. Due to District efforts, Grosse Point Lighthouse was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Government, the first such landmark designation of a lighthouse west of the Atlantic Ocean. Today, while continuing to preserve park land, the District's mission is to preserve and interpret one of the Great Lakes most important symbols of U.S. maritime history—the Grosse Point Lighthouse.

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Lighthouse Park District of Evanston to preserve, maintain, and provide safe parks and built facilities under District stewardship for area residents and the general public; to provide courteous public service; to demonstrate a professional commitment to preserve and provide safe, responsible public programming of Grosse Point Lighthouse consistent with its designation by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark; to engage other organizations in a spirit of cooperation to better serve the needs of  resources under District management and adjacent public properties in the lighthouse area.