Robbins Park has a new treehouse playground, a 50-foot zip line and a vine tunnel, all dedicated in memory of a Hinsdale native who died at 42.
Stewart Mather's children, Emma and Morris, prepared to take the inaugural ride on the zip line at the Oct. 20 dedication ceremony, The Hinsdalean reported. The Mather family donated $200,000 toward the project through the Mather Giving Foundation Donor Advised Fund. The Village of Hinsdale covered the remaining cost from its capital improvements budget.
Stewart grew up in Hinsdale and moved back to town before he died of cancer in 2020 at age 42, according to The Hinsdalean's coverage of the dedication. He enjoyed playing in family treehouses as a child.
His mother, Melissa Mather, spoke at the ceremony. She described how Robbins Park became a refuge for Stewart's young children after his death.
"Too young to fully understand the heaviness of their situation, Robbins Park brought light and laughter to Emma, Georgia, Morris and little Stewie," Melissa said.
The playground replaces what the village described as its oldest playground, which was scheduled for replacement in 2026, Trustee Michelle Fisher said at the Sept. 16, 2025 Village Board meeting where the project was first presented. The estimated cost at that time was $323,146, according to village meeting minutes.
The new structure features a 6,000-pound treehouse built from Wisconsin black locust logs, rope bridges, slides and a 5-foot vine tunnel with musical flower instruments for the park's youngest visitors. Upland Design Ltd. of Plainfield handled the design work.
At the dedication, Fisher said the project had transformed a 22-year-old park space into a playground filled with adventure and imagination.
Garden beds with 688 perennial plants surround the playground, Fisher said. They include more than 35 white hydrangeas, Melissa Mather's favorite flower, and a hibiscus called Angel Eyes near the dedication boulder.
