As Year of the Park continues, we will be documenting every park in Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy, Champaign County Forest Preserves, along with other odds and ends between July 2020 and July 2021. You can see what has been covered thus far by clicking here. If you have suggestions or ideas or feedback, feel free to contact us at info@smilepolitely.com.
NAME
Bannon Park
LOCATION
902 N. Neil, Champaign
HISTORY AND FEATURES
There is almost no information available about Bannon Park on the internet. It was donated to the Park District in 1999 and outside of a sign, with a flower bed that surrounds it, it features absolutely nothing. It is a piece of green space, and nothing more.
ASSESSMENT
On the parcel next to Bannon Park, however, there is a sculpture that sits next to the Blue Line Station building that houses Surface51 and other businesses. It is a remarkable piece of minimalist sculpture, one that appeals to my tastes, and also is fitting of the area as well.
Photo by Ellis Fein.
According the Champaign Park District, it was placed there by Public Art League, and was done by an artist named Jeff Boshart. The piece is called THEB#1. The sponsor is Mellander Holdings & Surface 51.
Beyond that, this plot of land would be a nice place for picnic tables and a small shelter to start. Something that is easy and low cost to install are bocce ball courts, and with the right seating and accessible parking, it’s the sort of thing that people might utilize in the spring, summer, and autumn months if it were made available.