Washington Square Park (Bughouse Square)
901 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60610
Parks
Bughouse Square, across from the Newberry Library, was Chicago’s famed free-speech park. From the 1910s–1960s, poets, preachers, and radicals drew crowds with passionate, unscripted soapbox debates.
Bughouse Square—slang for a mental health facility—was the nickname for Washington Square Park, Chicago’s most famous outdoor free-speech venue from the 1910s to the mid-1960s. Located across from the Newberry Library, it drew crowds and tourists alike for its lively, unscripted debates.
At its peak in the 1920s and ’30s, speakers ranged from poets to preachers, though the revolutionary left dominated the soapboxes with fiery, impassioned discourse.
Illinois 250
How to find us?
What's happening nearby...
Bud Billiken® Parade
Aug 08
The Bud Billiken® Parade is more than a procession of bands and floats marching down King Drive, it’s a commemoration of our past and a celebration…
Read more about Bud Billiken® Parade
Chicago Air and Water Show
Aug 15 – Aug 16
The Chicago Air and Water Show presented by the City of Chicago is the largest free show of its kind in the United States. The show…
Read more about Chicago Air and Water Show
Chicago Jazz Festival
Millennium Park • Sep 03 – Sep 06
Known for its artistic creativity, the Chicago Jazz Festival promotes awareness and appreciation for all forms of jazz through free, quality live musical performance.
Read more about Chicago Jazz FestivalYou might also be interested...
The Obama Presidential Center
Chicago
Scheduled to open in June 2026, the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago will feature a museum, library, gardens, and more—inviting visitors to connect, learn, and be…
Read more about The Obama Presidential Center