Founded in 1913 as a memorial to School of the Art Institute instructor John H. Vanderpoel, the Vanderpoel Art Association maintains a collection of more than 600 works of art, including many pieces that depict Chicago scenes. The artists themselves donated most of the works in the collection. About one-third of the art collection is on display on a rotating basis in the Ridge Park Gallery, built in 1929 after the collection outgrew its first home at the nearby Vanderpoel school. The gallery is located inside the Ridge Park Fieldhouse, designed by John and Murray Hetherington.
