Opening Night for Millennium Park..a Night to Remember
report by Ed Vincent

The Pritzker Pavilion opened this evening under a bit of humidity and as the clouds came in the music started, both chorally and sans chorus, to help part the clouds and give Chicago a more respectable sunset for the debut of her new living art.  The Major was all smiles when I spoke with him a moment about the grand opening of another proud achievement for the city.  The entire group of speakers preceding the official cutting of the ribbon were both proud and pleased, as they saw before them a mass of souls congratulating all their efforts, both leadership based and financial. 

The Mayor Welcomes Everyone to the new Jay Pritzker Pavilion and
Thanks Everyone Who Helped Make this Event Possible.

© Oak Park Journal

Chairman John Bryan of the Millennium Park committee
addresses and thanks the citizens, the Mayor, businesses,
and the Pritzker Foundation.

Ms. Cindy Pritzker thanks all those involved and looks
forward to the cutting of the ribbon.

Bill Daley (the Mayor's Brother) representing JP Morgan Chase in the Midwest Region, thanks the citizens for coming and notes the
interest of his firm in the future of Chicago.

Mayor Richard Daley and Chairman John Bryan Welcome
the Musicians to the Stage, as the Ribbon Breaks.

Redmoon Theater helps open the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

A breeze slowly helped mitigate the relative humidity and soon violins serenaded the ears of the audience.  Rachel Barton had
come to stage to entice all with her performance of Tchaikovsky's  Concerto for Violin in D major, Op. 35.  We have seen Ms. Barton last in Oak Park for a special limited appearance for music students at the Nineteenth Century Woman's Club, and now she is Rachael Barton Pine and the Club is now the 19th Century Club- a name gained and a name lost.

Ms. Rachel Barton Pine Thrills the audience with violin talent.
© Oak Park Journal

During Ms. Barton Pine's playing there came into being a screeching sound that caught all on the east side of the Pavilion by surprise.  The sound was being generated by a small four wheeled food car being pushed on the sidewalk going north and south along the eastern border of the was generating an annoying sound that in turn was being refracted and reflected into the Pritzker Pavilion's audience.  Someone had soon located the culprit and ended the sonic horror-a lesson learned (WD-40 or lithium grease for tomorrow).  Ms. Barton Pine's animated playing and stage presence always make her a fun performer to listen to observe.  It was her playing that brought the crowds to their feet though.

Valentina Lisitsa stands for an ovation following her performance.
© Oak Park Journal

Perhaps if Niccolò Paganini had heard and seen the lovely Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa perform the "Rhapsody on a Theme for Paganini" work arranged by Sergei Rachmaninoff he would have sought more protein for his gaunt physicality and even put on a colorful scarf.  Ms.  Lisitsa performed with a sensitive and precise execution of the melody and her artistry was applauded with a standing ovation from the crowd.

 
All those who worked tirelessly to get this wonderful work of art brought to City of Chicago must be applauded.  Millennium Park is gorgeous from all aspects, its top notch computer controlled sound system (where just the right amount of delay is entered into the electrical signal to synchronize with the true speed of sound and
give the impression of sound emanating from the actual stage) the wonderful gardens (it will take some time yet), beautiful sculptures'
and joyous fountains (plus rivers, bridges, parking....).

© Oak Park Journal

When I first observed the groups of young children playing in the Crown fountain it reminded me somewhat of children playing in the water at the Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, Florida.  The big difference is this, the Crown Fountain is better and it is free to one and all.

© Oak Park Journal

© Oak Park Journal

© Oak Park Journal

The Cloud Gate sculpture, made of stainless steel and polished like
a mirror is a 110-tons and 66-feet long, 33-feet high and 42-feet wide. There is a 12-foot high area beneath that allows vistors to transit and reflect on themselves as they gaze upwards.

 More Photos from the Opening Weekend.

  © Oak Park Journal

Millennium Park    on  the days that followed.

On the following days of the opening inaugural celebration, more of the ethnic diversity of the city was exhibited in the park's attendance.

There were families photographing themselves and reflections of the city, while others ran and danced in the waters of the Crown fountain.

The evening's performance was on mark for a grand show, all the notes in place and enough panache to warm up the cool breeze from the lake.

2004 Grant Park Music Festival

Fact Sheet

WHAT:

•     The nation's only remaining free, municipally-funded, outdoor classical music festival
•      Founded in 1935 by the Chicago Park District and co-presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs since 2001

WHO:

•     The award-winning 82-member Grant Park Orchestra and 60-member Grant Park Chorus

•      Orchestra performs under the direction of Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar, Principal Guest Conductor James Paul, and a roster of international guest conductors

•     Chorus performs under the direction of Chorus Director Christopher Bell, and is one of the nation's few professional Choral ensembles 

WHEN:

•     Ten consecutive weeks each summer, from June 23 -
August 29, 2004

•      Performances scheduled most Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 PM; most Saturdays at 7:30 PM; and occasional Sundays at 3:00 PM

WHERE:

•     The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the new permanent home of the Grant

Park Music Festival, as well as other free city events. The Jay

Pritzker Pavilion is located between Columbus and Michigan

Avenues at Washington Street in Millennium Park

TRANSPORTATION / PARKING

•      Millennium Park is easily accessible by public transportation, please call (312 or 773) 836-7000

•      Parking is available at the Millennium Park Garage (312) 742-7644

TICKETS / INFORMATION

•     All performances are free

•     Open lawn and pavilion seating is available on a first-come,
first-served basis

•      Priority reserved-area seats available for $10.00 per performance

•     Grant Park Music Festival Hotline (312) 742-GPMF (4763)

• www.grantparkmusicfestival.com

MAYOR DALEY UNVEILS MILLENNIUM PARK

FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF THE PUBLIC

Mayor Richard M. Daley today unveiled Millennium Park, Chicago's newest cultural gem, to Chicagoans and visitors during the Grand Opening celebration now through July 18. The three-day festival welcomes visitors to enjoy free concerts, interactive activities, and family entertainment spotlighting Millennium Park as Chicago's newest showplace for world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design.

"Millennium Park truly reflects Chicago and its people - their energy, vitality and creativity. The collection of architectural and artistic masterpieces are unlike any other in the world, and Millennium Park is the place for people to come and congregate, listen to music, get close to nature, and simply enjoy themselves and their city," Daley said.

The 24.5-acre park is a one-of-a-kind attraction offering visitors year-round sights and activities. Music lovers can experience the classical sounds of the Grant Park Music Festival at the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue, and art lovers can catch a reflection of themselves in Anish Kapoor's stainless steel elliptical sculpture, Cloud Gate, the world's largest outdoor sculpture in SBC Plaza.

Visitors to the park will also be able to experience the relaxing visuals of plants, flowers and water at the Lurie Garden; walk the serpentine BP Bridge; ice skate during the winter season at McCormick Tribune Plaza; re-live Chicago history through Wrigley Square's Millennium Monument, a replica of a classical Greek peristyle; watch the faces of Chicagoans on big screens while walking on water at the Crown Fountain; and enjoy the festivals, exhibitions and other activities on Bank One Promenade.

LISTEN IN FEATURES FOUR UNIQUE ARTIST-CREATED AUDIO PIECES ACCESSIBLE VIA CELL PHONE AS PART OF THE MILLENNIUM PARK OPENING 

As part of the grand opening of Millennium Park located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe streets, the public is invited to Listen In at any time between 6 a.m.-midnight Friday, July 16- Sunday, July 18, 2004 on their cell phones to hear four distinct artist-created audio performances. Each piece is inspired by a different area of the park, and featured artists include C.C. Carter, Johnny Arena and Heather Rafferty of The House Theatre, Connor Kalista with Chloë Johnston, and Stephen Lapthisophon.

Cell phone users can head to one of four areas of the park, dial 312-742-2004 and then follow the voice prompts to access the audio performances. The audio performances range in length from five to eight minutes. Regular cell phone rates apply.

Locations and audio pieces are as follows: 

•     BP Bridge

Poet CC. Carter sets this poem to music and explores the context, aesthetic and theme of bridges.

•     Mid-Level Terrace South Oust east of the Crown Fountain)

Created by Johnny Arena and Heather Rafferty of The House Theatre, this piece is a reflection on time, communication, and city living.

•     Lurie Garden

Performance/theatre artist Connor Kalista and Chloë Johnston encourage listeners to reflect on memories in this garden.

•     Corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street

Participants journey through different periods and places in this piece by sound artist Stephen Lapthisophon.
 

For more information about Listen In and other opening weekend events, please call 312-742-1168 or visit www.millenniumpark.org. The performance is part of the Millennium Park Grand Opening celebration, July 16-18, presented by the City of Chicago and underwritten by Bank One and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., featuring three days of free concerts, interactive activities, family entertainment, tours and more in the 24.5-acre Millennium Park, the city's newest lakefront attraction.

CROWNING CHICAGO'S DOWNTOWN LAKEFRONT,
24.5-ACRE MILLENNIUM PARK TO BE INAUGURATED IN JULY 2004

NEW PARK FEATURES UNPRECEDENTED COMBINATION OF ARCHITECTURE, MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Millennium Park Highlights Include Frank Gehry-Designed Music Pavilion for
Outdoor Summer Concerts, Monumental Sculpture Installation by Anish Kapoor,
Interactive, Sculptural Fountain by Jaume Plensa, and Contemporary Garden by Kathryn Gustafson 

In the tradition of innovation, vision and extraordinary human achievement that characterized the Columbian Exposition of 1893 where modern advancements in architecture and urban design were unveiled, Chicago's new Millennium Park will be opened on July 16, 2004 with the first concert performed by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. This concert begins a week of public events culminating with an inaugural gala concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. An international destination that will showcase the city of Chicago to the world, the 24.5-acre, $475-million Millennium Park is located in downtown Chicago, on Michigan Avenue just north of The Art Institute of Chicago.

The centerpiece of Millennium Park is the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States. Gehry's 120-foot high music pavilion has a proscenium that is surrounded by billowing curves of stainless steel and a huge steel trellis, which spans the entire audience. It will be the new permanent venue for the Grant Park Music Festival. Connected to the Pritzker Pavilion is the only Gehry-designed bridge in the world. The BP Bridge spans Columbus Drive, linking Millennium Park to the Daley Bicentennial Plaza and Chicago's lakefront park system.

Millennium Park will be home to one of the world's largest outdoor sculptures, a 110-ton, 66-feet long, 33-feet high and 48-feet wide mirror-finished stainless steel elliptical installation by the British artist Anish Kapoor; the tradition-setting Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf, and Robert Israel; and an interactive fountain comprised of two, 50-foot high glass block towers with video capabilities designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.

Millennium Park will be an unparalleled destination and a crowning achievement for Chicago," says Mayor Richard M. Daley. "In developing this project, the City and the private sector came together to present a defining vision in architecture, art and landscape design. As the American city with the greatest architectural heritage, Chicago is determined not to stand still, and opens the 21~ century with this visionary destination for the use and pleasure of Chicagoans and visitors from around the country and around the world."

"The development of Millennium Park is a testament to the extraordinary cooperation between + public and private entities working together toward a great vision," says John H. Bryan, volunteer Chairman of Millennium Park, Inc. "Millennium Park is being built to a standard never before seen in cities, and we look ahead with great excitement to Chicago's 'Grand Slam' of Gehry, Gustafson, Kapoor, and Plensa."
 

Millennium Park Architectural and Design Highlights

Music Pavilion and Bridge

Frank Gehry's Music Pavilion in Millennium Park has over 4,000 fixed seats and capacity for an additional 7,000 people on the 95,000 square foot expanse of lawn.

Four 50-foot high steel and glass rolling doors can close across the proscenium to encase the orchestra shell, which is faced with curving panels of Douglas fir and can accommodate a full-sized symphony orchestra and 150-member chorus. A billowing "headdress" of stainless steel ribbons frame the proscenium opening and stage. An overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes adjoins the proscenium and defines the lawn seating area, creating a sense of intimacy to the space, while allowing an openness and connection to the surrounding park. With its open-air "acoustical canopy", the Jay Pritzker Pavilion is among the most technologically advanced outdoor concert venues in the world, with digital innovations and enhanced sound designed to create an acoustical environment that provides an unforgettable listening experience.

A sinuous pedestrian bridge designed by Gehry links Millennium Park with the eastern portion of Grant Park and provides incomparable views of the city's skyline, Grant Park and Lake Michigan. The accessible bridge that is clad in stainless steel panels has a gentle slope and hardwood deck, and also provides an acoustic barrier between the audience and the traffic noise on Columbus Drive.

The Music Pavilion is named in memory of Chicago business leader Jay Pritzker. Jay Pritzker, with his wife Cindy, established the Pritzker Architecture Prize, and Frank Gehry was a Pritzker Prize Laureate in 1989. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion will be home to the Grant Park Music Festival, celebrating its ~ season in 2004 as the nation's only free outdoor summer classical music series featuring the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, as well as other free musical performances throughout the summer months under the direction of Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar, Principal Guest Conductor James Paul and Chorus Director Christopher Bell.

© Oak Park Journal

Kapoor Sculpture

Another major feature of Millennium Park will be a 110-ton elliptical sculpture by the celebrated British artist Anish Kapoor, his first public work installed in the United States. Measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high, the sculpture will be a highly polished surface that reflects the activity and lights of the park and the surrounding city skyline. The Kapoor sculpture will sit on the Park's SBC Plaza, west of the Pavilion.

© Oak Park Journal

Crown Fountain--Plensa Fountain
© Oak Park Journal

Plensa Fountain

Just to the southwest of the sculpture will be the Crown Fountain designed by artist Jaume Plensa of Barcelona. The fountain will feature two 50-foot high glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers will be activated with changing video images, and lights and water will cascade from the top of each.

The Lurie Garden

Designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, F. Oudolf and Robert Israel, Millennium Park's Lurie Garden is a unique combination of spatial structure, plantings and lighting design. The maintenance of the Garden was endowed by philanthropist Ann Lurie. The Garden encompasses distinctive spaces-both large and intimate-defined by sculpted hedgerows and pedestrian pathways. The 15-foot high "shoulder hedge encloses the Garden on two sides and a hardwood walkway follows a water feature that cuts diagonally through the Garden, separating it into the "light plate" with 240 varieties of perennial plants and the ~dark plate," which is shaded by flowering cherry trees. The Lurie Garden offers a rich and '4'aried sensory experience throughout the seasons, day and night.

Other Highlights

Designed as a year-round destination, Millennium Park offers a wide array of activities for visitors. The tree-lined commons area of Wrigley Square, anchored by the Millennium Monument (Peristyle), is an open space for visitors to relax on the lawn or stroll paths. The Millennium Park Peristyle, a semi-circular row of Doric-style columns inspired by the original version that graced the northwest corner of Grant Park between 1917 and 1953, rises nearly 40 feet. The 16,000 square-foot Ice Skating Rink is situated on the McCormick Tribune Plaza. The Bank One Promenade crosses the park and provides an area for year-round outdoor activities such as ethnic festivals, fairs, exhibitions, and family events.

Other amenities include the new 300-seat Park Grill restaurant, parking for cars and bicycles, as well as easy access to public transportation. In addition, a new 1,500-seat venue for the Music and Dance Theater Chicago, The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance, completed in November 2003, serves as a state-of-the-art indoor venue for performances by a dozen arts groups ranging from classical ballet and contemporary dance to classical, chamber, opera and folk music.

These include: Ballet Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago Sinfonietta, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joifrey Ballet of Chicago, Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, Music of the Baroque, Old Town School of Folk Music and Performing Arts Chicago.

© Oak Park Journal

Millennium Park Project History 

Millennium Park was first conceived with the original mission of creating new parkland in Grant Park to transform the unsightly railroad tracks and parking lots that had long dotted the lakefront in prime real estate in downtown Chicago. Overtime, with Mayor Richard M. Daley's vision and Frank Gehry's involvement, the project evolved into the most ambitious public undertaking in Chicago's history.

Visitors to Chicago and Chicagoans planning to entertain out-of-town guests can receive additional information, including brochures and maps on Chicago's exciting events and

• attractions by calling toll free I .877.CHICAGO, or by stopping at one of the Visitor Information Centers. The centers are located at Chicago Water Works, 163 E. Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue and Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph Street. For those calling from outside the United States, Mexico and Canada, please call 1.312.201.8847. The fly toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1.866.710.0294. Chicago tourism information is also available on the Internet at www.cityofchicago.org/ExploringChicago.

MILLENNIUM PARK

PROJECT FACT SHEET

OVERVIEW

PROJECT      Millennium Park

LOCATION      Chicago, Illinois

SCHEDULE      Design Commencement - June 1999 Completion - July 2004

Public Opening - July 16, 2004

SIZE  24.5 acres

COST  $475 Million

DESCRIPTION      Crowning Chicago's downtown lakefront, Millennium Park
 is an unprecedented combination of architecture, monumental sculpture and landscape design featuring an outdoor music pavilion designed by Frank Gehry;
a monumental, site-specific sculpture by London-based artist Anish Kapoor; an interactive sculptural fountain by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa; and a contemporary garden by Seattle-based landscape designer Kathryn Gustafson
of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. 

OWNER City of Chicago

JAY PRITZKER PAVILION

BP BRIDGE

PROJECT      Jay Pritzker Pavilion

      BP Bridge

      Millennium Park

LOCATION      Chicago, Illinois

SCHEDULE      Design Commencement - June 1999

      Completion - July 2004

SIZE  Jay Pritzker Pavilion - Includes 95,000 square foot lawn area; 4,000
fixed seats and approximately 7,000 lawn seats 

BP Bridge - 925 feet

DESCRIPTION      Jay Pritzker Pavilion - Is one of the world's most state-of-the-art outdoor music pavilions featuring a proscenium surrounded by billowing curves of stainless steel and a steel trellis that spans the audience.

BP Bridge - The first-ever Gehry-designed bridge in the world spans Columbus Drive, linking Millennium Park to the Daley Bicentennial Plaza and the entire lakefront park system.

OWNER City of Chicago

ARCHITECT      Gehry Partners, LLP
Los Angeles, California

ARCHITECTURAL TEAM

Design Partner      Project Team
Frank Gehry        Reza Bagherzadeh      Frank Medrano
Chris Banks Sy Melgazo

Project Partner      Saffet Bekiroglu      Chris Mercier
Randy Jefferson      Tom Besai      Julianna Morais
Manucher Eslami      Diego Petrate

Project Designer      James Jackson      Birgit Schneider
Craig Webb  Leigh Jerrard      Tensho Takemori
Kurt Komraus      Karen Tom

Project Architect      Jason Luk   Scott Uriu
Lynn Pilon David May   Adam Wheeler
Chris Mazzier

PROJECT MANAGEMENT      U.S. Equities Development
Chicago, Illinois

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER      Skidmore Owings & Merrill
Chicago, Illinois

MECHANICAL &      McDonough Associates

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER      Chicago, Illinois

THEATER CONSULTANT &      Schuler & Shook

LIGHTING DESIGNER      Chicago, Illinois

ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT &      The Talaske Group

AUDIO SYSTEMS DESIGN      Chicago, Illinois

CONTRACTOR      Walsh Construction
Chicago, Illinois

DESIGN CONCEPT

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion is among world's most technologically advanced outdoor concert venues, with digital innovations and enhanced sound designed to create an acoustical environment that provides an unforgettable listening experience. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion serves as the new home to the
Grant Park Music Festival, which celebrates its 70th season in 2004 as the only free outdoor summer classical music series in the nation.

Located in Grant Park between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive along the edge of Lake Michigan, the Pritzker Pavilion is a highly sculptural design, clad in stainless steel panels and features a billowing "headdress" of stainless steel ribbons that frame the proscenium opening and stage. An overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes adjoins the proscenium and spans the two seating sections, the main area which features 4,000 fixed seats and a 95,000 square foot lawn area that holds 7,000 people in a more informal environment. Shaped as a flattened dome, the trellis is constructed of curved steel pipes spaced 65 feet apart and supported by cylindrical concrete pylons clad in stainless steel panels.

The stage area of the pavilion is clad in Douglas Fir and features a series of portable risers and a choral terrace that can accommodate a full-size orchestra
and a choir of up to 150 members respectively. Large glass doors that can enclose the stage area when shut, allow the pavilion to be used during winter months for public functions such as banquets, receptions, and lectures. Another feature of the pavilion is a system of decorative colored light washes that when projected onto the proscenium, transforms the face of the pavilion. The pavilion features an expansive back stage area complete with dressing rooms and rehearsal space
that are shared with the adjacent Music and Dance Theater. 

The performance sound system consists of speaker clusters located at the front
of the Pritzker Pavilion and another system suspended from the trellis, giving the audience a fuller sense of the onstage sound and allowing the pavilion to control
 the sound level reaching the surrounding neighborhood. The Pritzker Pavilion
and Great Lawn are located atop a three level underground parking structure
which grants access to the bus way and metro rail tracks situated alongside. 

BP Bridge

The BP Bridge complements the Pritzker Pavilion in design and function. Clad in brushed stainless steel panels that are similar to those found on the pavilion, the bridge gives pedestrians the opportunity to rise above street level and the tree canopy to experience views of the pavilion, Millennium Park and the Chicago skyline. The bridge passes above Columbus Drive and its sides widen as they slope gently to the ground and form a beam that substantially lowers the level of road noise entering the seating and stage areas of the venue.

The pedestrian bridge provides access between the Pavilion and the area of Grant Park that is located East of Columbus Drive and directly adjacent to Lake Michigan. A multiple lane, high speed, grade-separated thoroughfare, Columbus Drive is a significant physical barrier between the Eastern and Western areas of Grant Park. The bridge creates a handicapped accessible path linking these two sections.

LURIE GARDEN

PROJECT      Lurie Garden

Millennium Park

LOCATION      Chicago, Illinois

SCHEDULE      Invited International Competition - August to October 2000 Commissioned - October 2000
Completion - June 2004

SIZE  2.5 acres

DESCRIPTION      Urban ornamental garden showcasing 240 varieties of perennials, water cascades and a dramatically lit 15-foot-high hedge.

OWNER City of Chicago

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd

LEAD DESIGNER      Seattle, Washington

DESIGN TEAM      Kathryn Gustafson, Senior Design Partner

Shannon Nichol, Design Partner
Jennifer Guthrie, Managing Partner
David Nelson, Construction Administration
Gareth Loveridge, Project Designer
Anita Madtes, Project Designer

CONCEPTUAL THINKING Robert Israel
Los Angeles, California

PERENNIAL PLANTING      Piet Oudolf

DESIGN      Hummelo, The Netherlands

ENGINEER      McDonough Associates
Chicago, Illinois

KPFF Consulting

CONTRACTOR      Walsh Construction
Chicago, Illinois

PROJECT MANAG ER      Spectrum Strategies
Chicago, Illinois

FOUNTAIN DESIGN      CMS Collaborative
Santa Cruz, California

LIGHTING DESIGN      Schuler & Shook, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

MECHANICAL AND   EME, LLC
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER      Chicago, Illinois

IRRIGATION DESIGN      Jeffrey L. Bruce & Company, LLC
Kansas City, Missouri

LOCAL LANDSCAPE      Terry Guen Design Associates, Inc.
ARCHITECT      Chicago, Illinois

SPECIFICATIONS      ArchiTech
Chicago, Illinois

COST ESTIMATING      Davis Langdon Adamson 
Seattle, Washington

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Below grade: Drainage system, MEP systems, foam blocks, concrete and
planting soil. Above grade: limestone, granite, precast concrete, p.i.p. concrete, pipe wood, water, plants, light fixtures, painted steel and muntz metal.

PLANTING

Woody plant material: approximately 5,200 plants and 14 varieties of clipped hedge material. Perennial plant material: Approximately 36,000 plants and 200 varieties of regional and exotic perennial plants.

DESIGN CONCEPT

The Lurie Garden is designed to pay homage to the city of Chicago's motto Urbs-Horto (City in a Garden), by referencing the city's origin of being transformed from a flat and marshy landscape to a bold and powerful city. The garden has been built up vertically over time to achieve its controlled qualities and prospective views and references Chicago's continual rise upward through land development. The garden's bulging forms and volumes present the legacy of a robust, upward and outward city. The Grand Shoulder Hedge that surrounds the garden exemplifies the unusual boldness, strength, and structure of the garden and protects and frames the delicate and unusual perennial plantings.

Inside the Shoulder Hedge is the Garden's interior of perennial plantings. Divided into two contrasting, bulging "plates" labeled the Light Plate and the Dark Plate. The Dark Plate, referencing the moist, mysterious past of the site, offers an experience of immersion in a volume of robustly textured plants. The Light Plate, referencing Chicago's modern and artistic control of nature, provides an
exhilarating experience of surveying a bright and clean, controlled landscape.

There is a diagonal division between the two plates. This division, the Seam Boardwalk, marks a dramatic change in Chicago's landscape eras --from an early era of immersion in the marshy landscape to a present/future era of a controlled, open landscape that one can move freely through. The division is a wooden boardwalk, which is suspended over water. This recalls that Chicago's first step
to building itself out of its marshy origins was to raise wooden boardwalks over
the muddy streets and sidewalks.

CLOUD GATE SCULPTURE
PROJECT      Millennium Park Sculpture
LOCATION      Chicago, Illinois

SCHEDULE      Artist selected 1999, Installation Complete July 2004

SIZE  11O tons
33' high x 42' wide x 66' long

DESCRIPTION      One of the world's largest outdoor installations made of
highly polished stainless steel that reflects the activity and lights of the park and surrounding city skyline. 

OWNER City of Chicago
ARTIST      Anish Kapoor
London, England

ENGINEER      OveArup
London, England

FABRICATOR      Performance Structures,
Oakland, California

PROJECT MANAGEMENT      U.S. Equities Development
Chicago, Illinois

DESIGN CONCEPT

One of the largest sculptures in the world, the 110-ton Millennium Park Sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel "plates" and measures 66-feet long, 33-feet high and 42-feet wide. With a 12-foot high concave area underneath, the sculpture invites visitors to touch it's mirror-like surface where Chicago's skyline and views of Millennium Park are reflected back. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture will be given a formal name once final installation is complete, a tradition Kapoor practices for all his sculptures. Made possible by a gift from the SBC Corporation and the sculpture will be installed on Millennium Park's SBC Plaza.

The sculpture was created by using computer technology to cut into precise shapes 168 giant stainless steel plates which will then be pieced together like a puzzle and welded shut. The plates are then rolled, milled, and polished to a mirror finish to hide the seams and bring out the reflective surface. An internal network of trusses was added to allow the sculpture to change shape in response to the extreme weather conditions in Chicago. The network is connected between two massive steel rings and has mobility to allow the steel of the sculpture to expand and contract.

CROWN FOUNTAIN

PROJECT      Millennium Park
Crown Fountain 

LOCATION      Chicago, Illinois
SCHEDULE      Artist selected 2000, Installation Complete July 2004
SIZE  Towers -50' high
Pool - 232' long

DESCRIPTION      Interactive fountain composed of two glass-brick towers,
with mixed media (light, LED display, water) united by a black granite pool

OWNER City of Chicago
ARTIST      Jaume Plensa
Barcelona, Spain

ARCHITECT      Kreuck Sexton Architects
Chicago, Illinois

ENGINEER      Halvorsen Kaye SE
Chicago, Illinois

CONTRACTOR      W.E. O'Neill Construction
Chicago, Illinois

PROJECT MANAGEMENT      U.S. Equities Development
Chicago, Illinois

DESIGN CONCEPT

Anchoring the southwest corner of Millennium Park, the Crown Fountain uses numerous design elements including water, light, and glass to create a unique meeting point and reflection space The surface area of the fountain floor is covered with maffe, black granite to create a vast, dark and empty surface. Covering the ground surface is a "water skin," measuring 1/8th of an inch deep and is spread
out across the whole of the pool measuring 232-feet long by 48-feet wide. The pool invites visitors to step on its surface and look at the images of the sky and
city reflected back. 

Two glass towers made-up of glass bricks, approximately 11-inches long, 5 1/2-inches wide and 1 Yr-inches deep, are another dramatic feature of the fountain. 50-feet high, 23-feet wide and

16-feet deep the towers also house the machinery that controls the water, lights and LED screens which are all visually magnified behind the glass bricks. Water serves as the fountain main structural element. In addition to the surface area, water flows over all four faces of each tower and images from nature are also projected on the LED screens.

The fountain also projects of images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens. The artist referenced the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out. Plensa decided to adapt the practice by having faces of Chicago citizens projected on LED screens and having water flow through a water outlet in the screen to give the illusion of water pouring from their mouths. The collection of faces provides Plensa's tribute to Chicagoans and were taken from a cross-section of 1,000 residents.

It is the artist's plan to expand the collection of images during regular intervals over the years, so that it can be used as a tool for understanding the social evolution of the city. The sequence of when the faces are displayed is gentle and slow, and has a rhythm that complements the colored lights and images of nature, also projected on the towers.

More Photos from the Opening Weekend.