EDGEWATER — Though D'Elia Playlot Park may have a tragic history, on Saturday it will celebrate its huge upgrades while paying tribute to the park's namesake.
The single-lot children's park at 6340 N. Lakewood Ave. underwent a renovation over the past year from Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Chicago Plays! initiative, which gave $125,000 to selected parks for updates.
The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday with Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) in attendance, and Emanuel scheduled to make an appearance.
It's an area with special significance for many in the neighborhood who remember the brutal murder of Aileen D'Elia, a 92-year-old Edgewater resident who was kidnapped and killed by a man fleeing from an earlier crime, according to reports.
"It's great that my grandmother's memory lives on, though sometimes I wonder if people really understand why this park is named for her," said Aileen Heidkamp, D'Elia's granddaughter. "It is a product of her violent death. I hate to think of the place as a tribute to violence, so I prefer to remember that it's named for her due to the efforts of neighbors."
The park will see new equipment like a brand-new swing set, two slide towers and jungle gyms with interactive musical toys on the outer walls. Per the wishes of the family, the park will target kids between the ages of 4 and 8. It will also include a pirate ship for climbing and soft rubber surfaces.
With much of the D'Elia family still living on the very same block where Aileen was abducted, where the park now sits, relatives say they want it to become a place of joy and laughter for future generations.
Heidkamp said she also wants to see it as a place that signifies the strength and kindness of the community.
"The neighbors were the ones who really united and supported our family during the time my grandmother was missing, so maybe the best way to think about what the park means is that it is a tribute to the ways communities help each other through hard times," she said.
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