In June, roughly 150 volunteers from the community, Morgan Stanley, and Kaboom! spent two days cleaning up the park and building a new playground. Photo by David Ricketts.
A local park in the Fairpark neighborhood is welcoming back neighbors of all ages after recent renovations. Madsen Park, located at 9 N Chicago Street, has evolved from once-empty land donated by private citizens to a full-fledged park. Now, it’s received upgraded amenities including a new playground and open green space.
In November 2022, Madsen Park was selected as one of the Reimagine Neighborhood Parks to receive funding from the GO Bond (Parks, Trails, and Open Space General Obligation Bond). Since then, two rounds of public input have been held — one to collect input from the public about the vision for the park and a second to showcase concept plans for evaluation and feedback.
In addition to the Salt Lake City Parks Department, two partners were engaged in supporting the revitalization of the park; Morgan Stanley provided the funding and Kaboom!, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating community-led play spaces, provided a new playground to replace the demolished one.
What was once empty land was converted into a park that — over the years — fell into disrepair. Now, Madsen Park is alive and vibrant again with a new playground. Photo by David Ricketts.
The first phase of the project wrapped up this summer. Roughly 150 volunteers from the community, Morgan Stanley, and Kaboom! spent two days working in the park. During this event, volunteers cleaned up the park, painted new lines on the basketball court, and installed a new playground.
Phase 2 construction plans are now underway, which should be completed by the beginning of 2026. While some of the details are still in development, it is anticipated that the plan will keep the multi-purpose green space and basketball court, expand the current playground, and add more shrubs. “Passive” activities may be added as well, such as open areas to play corn hole, ping pong, or chess. Safety will continue to be a priority as well, adding more lighting to the park.
It's worth noting that the park is located in close proximity to a couple of local staples, such as Culture Coffee (less than a 15-minute walk) and Red Iguana (less than a five-minute walk), making it a great location for a coffee or post-lunch nature time.
Madsen Park had its humble beginning as land donated by Richard Madsen; the space was to be used as a safe place for children to play. Richard and Mary Hannah Madsen were respected residents of the Fairpark community in the early 1900s. The Madsens allowed the land to be used to build a playground, which was constructed by the local residents.
In true Westside spirit, Madsen Park has been renewed through community involvement and support. Photo by David Ricketts.
Over the years, the playground grew to become a small neighborhood park. In more recent years, the park went through challenges related to aging equipment and safety, resulting in it closing down. But in true Westside spirit, the park has been revitalized — and it is not done yet.
Dustin Wiberg with the Salt Lake City Parks Department summarized the excitement for this project. “[We’re] super excited for the improvements and momentum with new developments,” Wilberg said. “Hopefully Madsen will add to the momentum.”
Fairpark continues to grow with new housing and new neighbors joining the community. With these renovations, Madsen Park has been reintegrated into the neighborhood to better serve current and future residents as a safe and clean space for people of all ages.
When I asked Wiberg what message he would like to pass on to The West View readers, he said, “Go and enjoy the park and be on the lookout for all of the planned improvements!”
Madsen Park
Address: 9 N Chicago St, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Amenities: Playground, Basketball, Softball, Picnic Tables