Located in the Hyde Park community, Spruce Playlot is a 1.22-acre recreational destination enjoyed by park patrons and their families.This park contains a playground with swings, slides and climbing equipment.
The Chicago Park District developed this park in 1963, as part of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Urban Renewal Project. The park district officially named the site Spruce Park in 1973. The park was one of a number of properties named for trees and plants at this time. Spruce trees are sharp-needled evergreens that can grow to heights of 20 to 100 feet. Seven of 40 species worldwide are native to North America. In the U.S. and Canada, spruces are planted in large numbers for reforestation projects and as Christmas trees. The blue spruce, native to the central Rocky Mountains and cultivated widely elsewhere, can live to be 600 to 800 years old.