CSOradio
CSOtv
CSOradio
To honor L. Frank Baum's Chicago connections, a yellow brick road and mosaic have been installed near his former Humboldt Park residence.
Though author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) set his timeless children’s book in a land very far away, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has several connections to his onetime hometown, Chicago. And those ties have been celebrated in some landmark ways.
Here are a few connections and commemorations:
Sweet Home Chicago: In 1891, Baum moved to Chicago with his family. He was living in Humboldt Park when The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Though Baum’s home at 1667 N. Humboldt Blvd. was razed decades ago, affordable housing now sits on the site. When rehabbing that housing complex in 2019, nonprofit developer Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp. built an actual yellow brick road at Humboldt Boulevard and Wabansia Avenue to honor Baum, who wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz while living there. To complement the brick road, the complex also has a decorative mosaic that declares in the words of Dorothy: "There’s no place like home."
Oz Park: In 1976 to celebrate the Chicago connection to the Oz stories, the Chicago Park District dedicated Oz Park, 2021 N. Burling, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, to honor L. Frank Baum’s creative works. Over the years, the city installed statues of the book’s characters of the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and Dorothy (and Toto, too) throughout the park. In keeping with the Wizard of Oz theme, the park’s garden is named the Emerald Garden and the playground is called Dorothy’s Playlot.
Because, because, because: In 2000, to mark the 100th anniversary of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, Office of Special Events and the Chicago Public Library presented a monthlong, citywide celebration of Baum’s classic.
The virtual Oz experience: Chicago Movie Tours has offered a virtual walking tour (not currently available) that allows viewers wander (via HD video) through Oz Park, which pays tribute to the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy and Toto. Then follow a yellow brick road to the spot where Baum penned The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
