Evanston opens James Park pickleball courts with ribbon cutting, play session

James Park’s six tennis courts are now 15 dedicated pickleball courts, giving Evanston players a much bigger public place to get on court without a membership or a wait list. The city marked the opening with a ribbon cutting and open play session, turning the park into a real pickup destination instead of a project still behind the fence.

The grand opening ran from 1 to 3 p.m. and was listed on the city’s special-events calendar as the James Park Pickleball Courts Grand Opening. That setup mattered: this was not just a photo-op. It was built for residents to try the courts, hit a few serves and start the first games on the new surface the same day the city celebrated the finish line.

For Evanston players, the bigger story is access. Parks, Recreation, & Community Services says outdoor racquet courts are open to the public and play is first-come, first-served, which makes James Park an immediate part of the city’s everyday court network. Robert Crown Center still gives players another option with drop-in pickleball, six courts, a 32-person maximum per session and a $5 per-person fee, but James Park adds a far larger outdoor hub for casual play.

City records say the conversion was driven by growing community demand. Construction began in late July 2025 and was completed by October 2025, and the city says the new courts were warmly welcomed as a recreational amenity. The project also fits into a wider park upgrade push, with tennis court renovations at Leahy Park, Ackerman Park and Mason Park showing that Evanston is treating racquet sports as part of a broader park system, not a one-off experiment.

That helps explain why the opening has been watched closely. Planning discussions for James Park included noise mitigation, including sound barriers around the courts, a sign that the city knew the redesign would affect nearby neighbors as much as it would players. Sandrine Gaupp-Scrim, a local resident and player, has framed pickleball as a fun, easy way to stay active and connect with the community, and James Park gives that idea a bigger home.

The first-day crowd is likely to include longtime players, first-timers and neighbors looking for a new regular court. With 15 courts where six tennis courts once stood, James Park should ease some of the pressure elsewhere in Evanston and give the city a more visible pickup scene from the start.