Big Things Are Brewing in Washington Park: A Rooftop Restaurant Expansion and a Teen Science Hub Are Coming to the South Side

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Washington Park · July 27, 2026

Washington Park neighbors, your community is cooking up something exciting — literally and figuratively. Evelyn's Food Love, the beloved restaurant and event space at 5522 S. State St., is getting a major glow-up. The City Council approved a $483,000 Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant to help the Black-owned eatery add a rooftop deck and bar, nearly doubling its footprint to approximately 2,900 square feet and expanding seating capacity from around 40 to 80 guests. Once complete, the expansion is expected to create up to 15 additional full-time jobs right here in the neighborhood — a genuine economic win for Washington Park's commercial corridor.

And if that's not enough to get excited about, a vacant lot near the Garfield Green Line stop at 300–304 E. Garfield Boulevard is slated to become Scitopia Chicago — an ambitious, free-admission science center led by paleontologist Paul Sereno and designed specifically for South Side teens. Think hands-on laboratories, a STEAM-focused library, makerspaces, an Imaginarium, and even dinosaur fossils. Organizers envision Scitopia as an out-of-school-time hub that creates clear pathways into STEAM careers for young people on the South Side. Architecture for Public Benefit is leading the design, and the Scitopia Foundation has already secured a CTA land sale agreement for the site.

From rooftop dining to walking dinosaurs, Washington Park's future is looking bright and bold. Stay plugged in with the Washington Park Advisory Council — meeting every third Wednesday at 7 p.m. — to follow these transformative projects as they take shape.

Sources:
1. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/provdrs/ec_dev/news/2026/march/grant-funding-will-support-expansion-of-washington-park-restaura.html
2. https://hoodline.com/2026/04/vacant-washington-park-lot-poised-to-become-teen-science-wonderland/