How much history can fit in just over five acres? Here in Orr Park, you’ll find the answer is: a surprising amount. Officially known as Orr (Rezin) Park, this green space sits right here in the heart of the Humboldt Park community. It’s named for Rezin Orr, a railway worker who became a champion for the neighborhood’s residents. You see, in the late 19th century, this area was booming with industry. The New Chicago and North Western Railroad car shops brought jobs and attracted workers who built their lives here. Rezin Orr saw the need to unite these workers, and so he founded a railway employees union to fight for their rights and well-being. His legacy lived on, first in the 1919 naming of a local high school, and later with this very park. Now, Orr Park is a space for community and recreation, a far cry from its industrial beginnings. You’ll find basketball and tennis courts, a running track, and even facilities for track and field events. It’s a testament to how communities evolve, how green spaces rejuvenate, and how even a modest park can hold within it echoes of a city’s past.
Congregation Or Torah
Rabbi Zvi Engel’s leadership guides Congregation Or Torah. This impressive Modern Orthodox Synagogue stands proudly in Skokie Illinois. It’s one