Millennium Park
Millennium Park
words by > Rod O’Connor
A New Millennium
*Enjoy culture and nature on Chicago’s classy front lawn.
As the birthplace of the modern skyscraper and home to prominent buildings from visionaries as diverse as Daniel Burnham and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Chicago has long been a showcase for cutting-edge architecture. But when Millennium Park opened in 2004, the city re-established its status as an urban planning pioneer by placing a 24.5-acre ode to urban art and design among wide-open green spaces in the heart of downtown.
For decades, the area that is now Millennium Park was a railroad yard—an eyesore in the shadow of nearby Grant Park and The Art Institute of Chicago. Ed Uhlir, director of design, architecture and landscape at the park, tells the story of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley visiting his dentist years ago, just as the ambitious project was underway. As the story goes, Daley gazed out the dentist’s office window at the massive, then-blighted chunk of land and said: “I hope this park will be my legacy to Chicago.”
With three million visitors last year, one could argue it’s already achieved Daley’s goal. And the railroad’s still there—you just can’t see it. Millennium Park was built over the tracks, making it the largest green roof in the world. The construction took a tad longer than expected (it was originally supposed to be completed in time for the millennium in 2000), but with Frank Gehry’s serpentine BP Bridge and stunning Pritzker Pavilion, the mirrored sculpture Cloud Gate, and other modern wonders sharing the stage with free exhibits and public performances, most visitors can’t help but feel it was worth the wait.
Indeed, Millennium Park has had a galvanizing effect on the people of Chicago, drawing everyone from art aficionados to regular Joes, who can either soak up a little culture or just relax in one of the showpiece outdoor spaces. What makes the park truly unique is how itengages even the casual visitor, encouraging interaction with pieces of world-class design and sculpture.
“It’s become the park for ‘everyman,’” says Terry Sullivan, owner of Walk Chicago Tours, which offers custom tours of Millennium Park. “Part of the success is its mission to blend nature and culture, so there’s a little bit there for everybody. In two years, it’s become an international destination and replaced the Picasso [sculpture downtown] as Chicago’s icon.”
Start your visit at the Chicago Cultural Center, just across Michigan Avenue on Randolph Street, for free weekday jazz or folk at lunchtime. Or, just head to the Millennium Park Welcome Center near the Exelon Pavilion on the northern end of the park.
From the north entrance, it’s impossible not to be drawn to the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Its 120-foot-high curled sheets of metal resemble billows of smoke, displaying designer Frank Gehry’s unmistakable handiwork. These monstrous ribbons are not only visually striking, they’re also connected to an overhead trellis whose dangling speakers distribute concert hall quality sound to 4,000 fixed seats and the 7,000-person capacity lawn. The summer music program continues through September, with free classical, jazz, opera and world music in a one-of-a-kind urban setting.
The new unofficial symbol of Chicago, and undoubtedly the park’s star attraction, is Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, an amazing sculpture that embodies the interactive possibilities of this 21st-century public space. Made from 168 polished stainless steel plates, this 110-ton drop of mercury absorbs you into its form, your reflection bouncing among images of the sky, clouds and city skyline. And this year, Cloud Gate’s mirrored surfaces received one last polish in time for summer, allowing visitors to finally enjoy Kapoor’s original design in all its glory.
On the south end, The Crown Fountain takes the “everyman” concept to new heights, as 1,000 faces of ordinary Chicago citizens overlook the city via LED displays on 50-foot-tall glass block towers. Designed by Jaume Plensa as a space for silent reflection, most days that original purpose is surrendered to crowds of children who wait under the huge images as they blink, purse their lips and, every five minutes, shoot a stream of cascading water onto the black granite plaza.
There’s plenty of greenery in the park, but it’s at the Lurie Garden where one experiences a true respite from city life. On its winding, wood-planked path, a mellow river practically begs you to dip your feet in. The garden features 138 varieties of perennial plants enclosed by 15-foot-high shoulder hedges, a historical nod to poet Carl Sandburg’s famous nickname for Chicago: “City of Big Shoulders.”
While such flourishes certainly help visitors recall the city’s hardworking past, says Helen Doria, Millennium Park’s executive director, the park’s most vital role may be as a symbol of the possibilities of urban planning in the future. “Millennium Park is considered not only by people in Chicago, but internationally, as a park of the 21st century,” she says. “It’s bringing about a new definition of urban parks. Cities from around the world are looking at the ways it is helping to keep the city vital.”
STAY
Hard Rock Hotel
Rock star digs just blocks away from Millennium Park.
230 N Michigan Ave 312-345-1000
www.hardrockhotelchicago.com
Hotel Burnham
Honor Chicago’s architectural heritage at this luxury boutique hotel in a landmark building.
1 W Washington 312-782-1111
www.burnhamhotel.com
EAT & DRINK
Park Grill
Reliable American menu in the middle of Millennium Park—dine inside or out on the huge outdoor patio.
11 N Michigan Ave 312-521-7275
www.parkgrillchicago.com
LISTEN
The Pritzker Pavilion
Offers unbelievable outdoor acoustics and free programming. Here’s a sampling for August, but check www.millenniumpark.org for more events.
Music without Borders: Anoushka Shankar and DJ Karsh Kale, August 13. Made in Chicago: World Class Jazz, August 3, 10, 17, 24 and 28.
TOUR
Walk Chicago Tours features custom and handicapped accessible tours ($20). www.walkchicagotours.com
Chicago Architecture Foundation’s “Millennium Park Revealed” presents regular group tours ($14). Check www.architecture.org for times and availability.
Visit www.millenniumpark.org to download a free self-guided tour to your iPod, or visit the Welcome Center (201 E Randolph) for a $5 self-guided tour, or free guided tours held daily at 10am and 2pm.