Millenium Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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❖Millenium Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2026[open in full screen]

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Millennium Park sits atop parking garages, the commuter rail Millennium Station and rail lines, it is considered the world's largest rooftop garden. Planning of the park, situated in an area occupied by parkland, the Illinois Central rail yards, and parking lots, began in October 1997. Construction began in October 1998, and Millennium Park opened in a ceremony on July 16, 2004. The park was conceived as a 6.5 ha landscape-covered bridge over an underground parking structure to be built on top of the Metra/Illinois Central Railroad tracks in Grant Park. The park's overall design was by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and gradually additional architects and artists such as Frank Gehry and Thomas Beeby were incorporated into the plan.

Scroll all the way down to the very last photo to see continuation of this place, that it how park looked before renovation.

At the time, the Chicago Tribune dubbed Gehry "the hottest architect in the universe" in reference to the acclaim for his Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain. His hesitance and refusal to accept the commission was overcome by Cindy Pritzker, the philanthropist, who had developed a relationship with the architect when he won the Pritzker Prize in 1989. Jay Prizker Pavilion is a great creative result of Gehry's talent.

In April 1999, the city announced that the Pritzker family had donated $15 million to fund Gehry's bandshell and an additional nine donors committed $10 million. The day of this announcement, Gehry agreed to the design request in November, when his design was unveiled.

Cloud Gate’s story begins with Millennium Park’s vision of invigorating public art within downtown Chicago.

It was Anish Kapoor concept, inspired by the liquid, mercurial form of mercury itself, that captured the imagination with its dynamic reflections and colossal scale. Initially, its organic, elliptical shape led many to dub the sculpture “The Bean” a nickname that would become part of its identity, despite Kapoor’s early skepticism, recognizing that the public’s connection to the name mirrored their embrace of the artwork itself. Mayor Richard M. Daley dedicated Millennium Park in 2004 as a gift to the people of Chicago. This park is an enduring tribute to Chicago's long history of architectural and artistic excellence. It will stand as an inspiration to future generations to carry that legacy forward.

For me, visiting this urban park and all the architectural and artistic achievements were highlights of the visit to Chicago.

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❖..c l a s s i f i c a t i o n ... s y s t e m..❖
more about evaluation method		more about types of squares
sociability	8	ceremonial	x
uses & activities	9	religious	x
access & linkages	10	social	x
comfort	10	residential	x
image	10	court yard	x
tourist value	10	with park	x
total	57	street, shopping	x