The park was named for Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), a German naturalist and geographer famed for his five-volume work "". His single visit to the United States did not include Chicago. Humboldt Park is part of Chicago's Boulevard Park System, which flanks the Loop with large parks linked with boulevards. The park is lined with graystone houses and is now enjoying a non-restrictive landmark status on Kedzie Ave. The park itself has 3 major historical public buildings, including the Boat House (designed by Schmidt, Garden and Martin), the Field House (which received a 1.5 million dollar renovation grant, being implemented in 2013) and the Historic Stables (described more below).