The Wrigley Building (400 North Michigan Avenue) has been named a Chicago Landmark.  See Alderman Reilly’s announcement below. Not a new web site, but it’s new to us.  Check out Chicago Loop Bridges for lots of interesting information and pictures of… Chicago Loop...

The latest plans for replacing the northern portion of Grant Park are on display.  Large display panels went up on the Pedway level of Block37 last night, allowing people who normally aren’t able to attend the Grant Park meetings to see what’s coming. This is part of the Chicago...

Several years after the City of Chicago decided to cut off the heart of Grant Park from Lake Michigan, it’s spending $125,000 to fix the affront. Work started today on a new pedestrian crossing that will link Buckingham Fountain with Queen’s Landing. CDOT installed fencing,...

  Plans for the biggest renovation of Chicago’s front lawn since the dawn of Millennium Park are coming together as the date for the start of construction nears. North Grant Park has been the subject of a series of serious meetings, public and private, over the  last few years....

The Art Institute of Chicago has installed a giant fake moon to cast a glow over Millennium Park this winter.  All of you Loop-bound amateur astronomers who used to enjoy the darkness of Grant Park will have to go elsewhere. The latest plans for reconstructing the northern portion of Grant...

At some point in a building’s life, whether it be before, or after, or during construction, a model of the building is made.  Very often these models end up hidden away in offices, closets, and storage spaces where they can’t be appreciated by the public. But every once in a...

The Nichols Bridgeway serves as a visual foundation for an architectural variety of Chicago...

The Chicago skyline reflected in the glass of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago (111 South Michigan...

The first big bloom of the season at the Cancer Survivors Memorial (399 East Randolph...

There was an interesting note at a public meeting of the Grant Park Conservancy a couple of days ago.  Bob O’Neill, the head of the organization, said that the plan for moving the Chicago Children’s Museum from Navy Pier (600 East Grand Avenue) to Daley Bicentennial Plaza...

One of the more magical places in Chicago is the tiny northeast corner of Grant Park known as Cancer Survivors Plaza.  It’s officially called  ”Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Park” (337 East Randolph Street), but many people just know it as the way to...

If you haven’t been to the Taste of Chicago in a while because of the crowds, this is probably the year to make a return trip. There are fewer restaurants, fewer vendors, fewer PR booths, and fewer people than in any year since we started going in 2004.  During some weekday...

While the potential relocation of the Chicago Children’s Museum to Grant Park is being hashed out in court, the broader redesign of the northern end of Grant Park continues. $35 million from the privatization of the subterranean parking garages is being used for the project which will...

Depending on your viewpoint, Grant Park is going to either get more convenient, or continue to be overrun by crass commercialism. Either way, more concessions stands are opening up on Chicago’s front lawn this year and in 2010. There will be a new concession stand at 11th street...

It’s going to be a summer full of change in the area of Grant Park surrounding Buckingham Fountain . Construction has already begun on the Tiffany Garden.  Officially known as the “Tiffany & Co. Foundation Celebration Garden,” this is an area south of the...

If you haven’t seen one of these posters already, look for one to pop up on a city information sign near you soon. There’s a fund-raising campaign to put together enough money to fix up Chicago’s iconic Buckingham Fountain .  How sad is it that Mayor Daley has to...

The competition to design a new memorial to Daniel Burnham marking the 100th anniversary of his plan for Chicago has been described as difficult. A field of 20 architecture and design firms has been whittled down to three finalists and the winner will be announced June 19th. The Burnham Park...

Any large project undertaken in a major metropolitan area is going to be fraught with controversy.  It’s just the nature of the game. The current game being played is “Where’s Burnham” — an exercise is finding the perfect, or rather least imperfect,...

As you read this, a distinguished panel of architects, urban planners, and other city insiders is deciding what is the appropriate way to honor the only man in history to have more impact on the shape of Chicago than either Mayors Daley. His name is Daniel Burnham, and whether you see the...