The windy city may be losing its nickname, all thanks to Mayor Richard Daley. The mayor is big on trees -- the city has planted nearly half a million since he took office. He's also one of the leading proponents in the United States of the green roof, which saves on energy costs, improves air quality and can even promote cooler temperatures. With more than 200 green roofs totaling 2.5 million square feet, Chicago now ranks number one in green roofs in the United States. Milennium Park is just one of the city's great "green" success stories, and now there's a fascinating book by Timothy J. Gilfoyle, (University of Chicago Press 2006), professor of history at Loyola University Chicago, that tells the enthralling story of how it all came about.
Every six months, when Mayor Daley visited his dentist, whose office overlooked the city's lakefront Grant Park, he noticed the dilapidated railroad yard below that spoiled the landscape between the park and Michigan Avenue. In 1997, at a breakfast for the Mayor of Mexico City, Daley approached civic leader and Sara Lee CEO John Bryan and pulled him over to the window. Directly below was the squalid train yard, and Daley simply said "We should build a park there." Bryan got on board immediately, but he believed that, with private donations, the city could raise the money for more than just a park. In the words of Marshall Field V, the donors decided that "gee, if we're going to do this, we've got to shoot for the moon." And indeed they did.
(click on image to purchase book)
In thorough detail, Gilfoyle tells the amazing story of the 24.5 acre Milennium Park: the public officials, the planners, the artists, the civic leaders behind one of largest "green roofs" in the world, built over a transportation station and parking garage. Milennium Park's original master plan was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill -- and included, among other things, a great lawn, a garden, a music pavilion, a reflecting pool and skating rink, and an outdoor amphitheater. Gilfoyle chronicles the sometimes cantankerous interactions between the donors, the artists, the politicians, the foundations and corporations that made this immense project finally come together.
It's now a showcase of art and culture, with sculpture by Anish Kapoor, a music pavilion and pedestrian bridge designed by Frank Gehry, a fountain by Jaume Plensa, and a garden designed by Kathryn Gustafson with plantings by Piet Oudolf. Chicago has always been know for its architecture, and Milennium Park, now its 21st century landmark, is just one more reason to visit the city.
If you can't get there right away, you can take a magnificent tour with Timothy J. Gilfoyle and have a permanent record of this impressive and exciting project. The book has more than 300 color photographs, archival maps and other illustrations that alone are worth what you'll pay for the book.
A great Christmas present for any Chicagoan you know -- or just about anyone else.
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