The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is a roughly 3-acre Prairie-style garden at 125 W. Fullerton Pkwy. in lakefront Lincoln Park, along the edge of Lincoln Park Zoo. It is a quiet landscape of stone paths, a pond and native plants, free to visit in season.
What it’s known for
The site was built in 1889 as a pool for raising tropical water lilies. Landscape architect Alfred Caldwell redesigned it in the Prairie School style in the 1930s (the National Register lists 1936 and 1938 as its key years), shaping limestone ledges to evoke a glacial river, with a waterfall at the north end standing in for its source. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Lincoln Park Lily Pool.
In 2001 the Park District and Friends of Lincoln Park began restoring it, replacing invasive plants with natives, adding accessible ramps and rehabilitating the pavilion, council ring, paths and waterfall; the pavilion was repaired again in 2024. Birds, dragonflies, butterflies, frogs and turtles use the habitat, and the raised paths make it a good spot for birdwatching.
Good to know
- Hours: Open dawn to dusk daily from mid-April through mid-November, per the official site, October 2026.
- Admission: Free.
- Closure tip: It closes Friday through Sunday of Air and Water Show weekend in August.
- Permits: Photo and event permit questions go to the Lincoln Park Conservancy.
Read more in the Lily Pool feature, or see free things to do in Lincoln Park.
Sources: chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/lincoln-park-alfred-caldwell-lily-pool, npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/06000235, lincolnparkconservancy.org
