Before the creation of Juniper Park, the surrounding section of the Lakeview neighborhood had suffered from a shortage of parkland. In 1972, the Chicago Park District acquired the park property from the Waveland Avenue Congregational Church, designating it Juniper Park shortly thereafter.

Juniper Park was one of a number of properties the Park District named for trees and plants at this time. Junipers are small, pyramid-shaped evergreen trees or shrubs. Male junipers produce cones, while female junipers produce berries that supply winter food for birds. The wood of the juniper is sometimes used to line clothes closets, both because it has a pleasant odor and because it repels moths.