The park was named for Alexander von Humboldt ( 1769 – 1859 ) , a German naturalist and geographer famed for his five-volume work '' Cosmos : Draft of a Physical Description of the World '' . His single visit to the United States did not include Chicago . Humboldt Park is part of Chicago 's Boulevard Park System , which flanks the Loop with large parks linked with boulevards . The park is lined with graystone houses and is now enjoying a non-restrictive landmark status on Kedzie Ave. The park itself has 3 major historical public buildings , including the Boat House ( designed by Schmidt , Garden and Martin ) , the Field House ( which received a 1.5 million dollar renovation grant , being implemented in 2013 ) and the Historic Stables ( described more below ) . < ! -- Deleted image removed : Chicago annexed most of the neighborhood in 1869 , the year the park was laid out . Because the area lay just beyond the city 's fire code jurisdiction , as set out after the 1871 fire , this made low cost construction possible
1871 fire
Great Chicago Fire
Humboldt Park, Chicago