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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Underground Chicago: Railroads
Previous: Subways, etc. One of a series of posts describing Chicago’s underground networks. This post focuses on the railroads, both passenger and freight. In the early 20th century the city council required the steam railroads, as they were known, to elevate their tracks. This has resulted in structures that may or may not be considered…
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…
Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Even though we've had our hats, scarves, gloves and coats out for a while, the first day of winter is finally here! Winter officially begins on December 21, a day that is called the Winter Solstice because it has the shortest amount of daylight. Here in Chicago, winters can be extremely cold, but that doesn't…
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