Gelatin Park

An iconic landmark in Grayslake is the 80 foot smokestack remaining from the Grayslake Gelatin Company, which was a significant employer in the Village for many decades. The factory was officially demolished in 2016/2017 after the Village of Grayslake purchased the property in 2015 with the goal of converting the space into a park.

Gelatin Park was introduced to the community in 2018. The Smokestack stands today and still has “Gelatin” on one side and “Grayslake” on the other. Walking paths and benches now circle around the smokestack and abundant green space exists in place of the old factory. In Gelatin Park, you’ll also find a cardio hill which in the warmer months is used for breaking-some-sweat activities including walking and running and conveniently located near the paved loop that circles Central Park. In the winter months, the hill is used for cold-weather fun -- sledding.

Gelatin Park is located directly next to Central Park and the Grayslake Area Public Library, and can be reached via Railroad Avenue from Center Street, making the park easily accessible from historic downtown Grayslake into the community campus area of Central Park including all the amenities found there.

Next time you want to be surrounded by green space, yet close to everything in the Village Center, make your way to Gelatin Park to take in the preserved smokestack and reminisce about what once was and what we are fortunate to have today.