Every summer marks another anniversary for Chicago destination Millennium Park, which opened in July 2004. Planning, fundraising and construction of the park began as early as 1996, when organizers started to investigate who owned the park site. Today, features of the park are some of Chicago's most recognized landmarks. Special Collections holds two archival collections that…
Search Results for: Millennium Park
History of Grant Park 1991-2014
Previous: Grant Park 1971-1990 In the 1990s, major physical changes happened at both the north and south ends of Grant Park. When first completed, the north- and south-bound lanes of Lake Shore Drive had wrapped around the Field Museum’s front door. With increased and faster automobile traffic on Lake Shore Drive, this became unsightly and…
History of Grant Park 1971 to 1990
Previous: Grant Park 1931 to 1970 The largest of Grant Park’s garages, the 3800-space Monroe Street Garage, opened in stages in 1976 and 1977. It replaced the 2700-space parking lot built on the old military reservation. It also cut across a corner of the Illinois Central freight yard. Above it were built landscaped gardens, tennis…
Happy 50th to the Chicago Picasso!
In the early 1960s, the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was working on designs for Daley Plaza. Architect William Hartmann helped convince Spanish artist Pablo Picasso to design a sculpture for the space. Picasso would not accept payment, making this artwork a gift to the people of Chicago. Constructed from the same Cor-Ten steel used in…
The Bean, AKA Cloud Gate
Summer in Chicago means thousands of tourists flocking to Millennium Park to see Anish Kapoor's acclaimed sculpture Cloud Gate, more popularly known as “The Bean”. Love it or hate it, Chicagoans have come to recognize that Cloud Gate is a major draw for our city. Aside from the fact that it is shiny and you…
Cloud Gate: Biggest Bean of All!
Did you know that April 22 is National Jelly Bean Day? As you consider this, hopefully with a handful of jelly beans, did you know Chicago has the biggest "bean" in the world? Just don't try to eat it! Cloud Gate, lovingly known to Chicagoans as "the Bean," is Anish Kapoor's iconic sculpture located in the…
Surrealists and Selfies
If you're in downtown Chicago, you should visit Cloud Gate, nicknamed "The Bean." It's a sculpture in Millennium Park by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Its shiny surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline, making it a popular attraction. Walk around and under it, and see how your body becomes warped and distorted against the background of the sky. Get creative…
Growing Native
Despite being a big city, Chicago is home to many types of natural areas from prairie grasslands and woods to wetlands and dunes, and since the days of the renowned Jens Jensen, the city has had an interest in promoting native biodiversity. This means that throughout our parks and nature areas you can find plants native to our…
2015 Recipients of Chicago’s Fifth Star Awards
Inaugurated in 2014, the City of Chicago’s Fifth Star Awards honor artists and cultural organizations for significant contributions to our city’s cultural life. This year’s honorees are WXRT Program Director Norm Winer, author Sandra Cisneros, children’s performer and educator Ella Jenkins, architect Stanley Tigerman and the Joffrey Ballet. You can see the Joffrey Ballet perform at…
O Christmas Tree!
I love Christmas! It’s my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it: the lights, the toys, the gingerbread houses, Santa Claus. But nothing says Christmas like the Christmas tree. In my house we make a big production around erecting good ole Tannenbaum. It’s a time filled with music, laughter, hot chocolate, popcorn…
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