"I think it's a great Christmas present to the city of Naperville," Paul Loscheider said in December 2012. He was North Central College's vice president for business affairs, and the present was a demolition. The college was buying a foreclosed strip mall at the river's edge on Washington Street, and the city was going to tear it down. "I have heard so many people say it's ugly and they wish it would go away," he added. He also said the park planned for the lot wouldn't debut until 2014.
The building came down. The park did not arrive in 2014, or in the ten years after that. Construction began the week of May 25, 2026. The City's September 23 update says brick pavers will soon finish the sidewalk paths along the DuPage River, the two plazas are taking shape, and landscaping is going in to bloom next spring. The park is still expected to open by the end of October.
The long wait was not about whether anyone wanted a park at 430 S. Washington St. Two things had to happen in order. The land needed an owner willing to build a park, and the bridge next to it had to be rebuilt before a river-level path could run from it. Both are now done, and that is why this half acre matters well beyond its size.
Half an Acre the City Once Took to Court
The lot sits on the east side of Washington Street, across the river from Fredenhagen Park. In 2012 the Daily Herald described it as a half-acre parcel near Aurora Avenue. A one-story building from the 1930s stood wedged between a Burger King and the DuPage River, deteriorating and overgrown with vegetation. Over the decades the site had held a gas station, a car dealership and repair shop, a laundromat, and a dry cleaner.
The city tried to take the land for the Riverwalk once already. In 1999 it moved to condemn the property and lost. An appellate court later upheld the finding that the city had not made a good-faith attempt to buy the land at a fair price before trying to seize it.
Thirteen years later the property was in foreclosure, and the bank holding it did not want to own it. "They (the bank) didn't really want to own the property," Loscheider said at the time. North Central offered to buy it. Mayor George Pradel said the college had "stepped up to the plate." Then-President Harold R. Wilde said the college had long "shared a dream with the city to re-create the beauty of Fredenhagen Park and the Riverwalk" on the site.
That settled the ownership problem. The timing problem took longer.
The Wait, Year by Year
- 1999. The city tries to condemn the land for the Riverwalk and loses in court.
- 2012. North Central College buys the foreclosed property.
- January 2013. The strip mall is demolished.
- 2015. The City and the college sign the agreement that eventually produces this park.
- 2023 to 2025. The Washington Street Bridge is replaced, and the City holds the park back until the bridge is finished.
- May 19, 2026. City Council approves Baumgartner Construction for the job. Work starts the week of May 25.
- July 2026. Flooding disrupts construction, and the fall opening forecast holds.
- End of October 2026. Expected public opening. As of the September 23 update, no specific date had been set.
In March 2025, NCTV17 reported that the park was expected by early summer 2026. By June 2026 the target had moved to October.
Why the Bridge Had to Come First
Picture the old gap from river level. The Riverwalk ran under Washington Street, and the planned route continued southeast across this property to the Moser Covered Bridge. Without that stretch, the river-level path stopped short of the covered bridge that leads into the North Central College campus.
City Transportation, Engineering and Development Deputy Director Andy Hynes described the fix when construction began in June. The park "will provide a new gateway for the College as well as extend the low-flow walkway from the recently completed Washington Street Bridge to the Moser Covered Bridge." He added that it "will also feature an accessible ramp between the river and street level."
That sentence explains the sequence. The new walkway starts at the new bridge, so building the park before the bridge was finished would have meant building toward a structure that was about to be torn out and replaced. The bridge project ran from 2023 to 2025, and the park moved up the list once it was done.
Once the park opens, the City says it will connect the Riverwalk's south extension path, Washington Street, Fredenhagen Park, and the North Central College campus through the Moser Covered Bridge.
What Fits on Half an Acre
The park is small, and the City's feature list reflects that. It is built for walking through and stopping briefly:
- An illuminated North Central College archway sign at the Washington Street entrance
- A plaza with a monument to the college's academic and athletic milestones
- Extended walkways that meet ADA standards
- Ornamental and native landscaping
- Benches and seat walls
- Open, connected gathering spaces with views of Fredenhagen Park and the campus
The project is estimated at $2.1 million. The State of Illinois is covering $1.3 million, and the rest comes from the City's Capital Project Fund. The archway sign's cost is split. At a Council discussion, Hynes told Councilwoman Mary Gibson that the City would pay for the sign's foundation and electrical service and the college would pay for the decorative sign itself.
Current North Central President Abiódún Gòkè-Pariolá called the start of construction "the realization of a vision the College had when it first purchased the property more than a decade ago."
The Next Gap Is South
This park is one piece of the Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan, and the next piece depends on it. In June, NCTV17 reported that the South Gateway would follow the park's completion and extend the Riverwalk from Hillside Road to Martin Avenue, toward Edward Hospital. Hynes said the City hoped to begin the South Extension this fall. Combined with the new park, he said, it would give residents and visitors "a new connection between the Edward Hospital campus and downtown Naperville."
None of the sources reviewed for this post confirm that South Extension construction has started, so treat it as a plan for now. The pattern from this stretch of river still applies. The Eagle Street Gateway, another master plan project, opened on November 14, 2025. The Washington Street Bridge was finished in 2025, and the park follows in 2026. Each project waits for the one before it to clear the way.
A First Walk, Then Dinner on Washington Street
The opening lands during a busy stretch downtown. From October 9 to 18, Dine Naperville runs the first Taste of Naperville, with fixed-price "bites" at downtown restaurants. Several are a short walk north of the park on the same street:
| Restaurant | Address | Taste of Naperville offer |
|---|---|---|
| GIA MIA | 110 S. Washington St. | $20 sampler board with meatballs al forno, arancini, and prosciutto and fig bruschetta |
| Tapville Social | 216 S. Washington St. | $5 bites, including a steakhouse mini burger and chimichurri steak frites cone |
| Temptinn – Indian Fusion | 22 S. Washington St. | Tiers from $5 empanadas and fries to a $20 meal for two |
| Sullivan's Steakhouse | 244 S. Main St. | $15 showcase with Beef Wellington bites and a cheesesteak egg roll |
Park construction may still cause occasional lane or traffic-pattern changes on Washington Street until the work wraps up, so allow extra time if you drive in.
If the park opens on schedule, the last Sunday of October also brings families back to the river. The Downtown Naperville Alliance's Halloween Hop runs October 25 from 10 a.m. to noon, with door-to-door candy, face painting, and free Trick or Treat Trolley rides. That afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m., the Naperville Park District hosts its free Halloween Happening at the Riverwalk Grand Pavilion, 912 Sindt Court, for children 10 and younger. The City has said it will share opening details as the park nears completion.
Projects like this one, from the Washington Street Bridge to the South Extension, shape how the blocks around downtown work day to day. Keeping track of them is part of how Kathie Frerman advises clients about Naperville. If you live near the Riverwalk and want to know how changes like these could affect your home's value, request a free home valuation or schedule a consultation.
