Last March, plans for a rather exciting addition to Chicago’s lakefront area were unveiled to the Chicago Plan Commission. Now, almost one year later, construction is well under way on Chicago’s new Millennium Park. While the onset of the year 2000 has seen a flood of millennium celebrations and special events commemorating this milestone in history, the city of Chicago has set its sights higher than most by undertaking the $200-million park project. “Other cities are staging fireworks displays or parties to celebrate the millennium, while Chicago is improving the quality of life of its citizens,” said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The park will cover more than 90,000 square meters (1 million sq. ft.) and will include an outdoor music pavilion, a 1,500-seat auditorium, and an ice rink in addition to the many other enhancements included in the park’s overall design. Millennium Park will reclaim 6.6 hectares (16.5 acres) of former railroad right-of-way, and the entire park will boast 9.84 hectares (24.6 acres) of area in a park-within-a-park setting. Designers and coordinating architects for Millennium Park are Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP of Chicago, IL. Situated between Chicago’s scenic skyline and Lake Michigan, the park is an expansion of Chicago’s famous Grant Park. Bounded by Michigan Avenue, Columbus Drive, Randolph Street and Monroe Street. Millennium Park will occupy the northwest corner of Grant Park. Millennium Park is designed to make Chicago’s arts and entertainment offerings more accessible to the public in an attractive, scenic setting. “Grant Park is Chicago’s front yard. Sadly, this 16-acre corner of the park has been a blight for too long,” said Ed Uhlir, project director, Millennium Park. “Millennium Park will remedy that with a plan that fulfills Daniel Burnham’s vision of the lakefront as a place that brings Chicagoans together on a year-round basis.” Commanding the impressive $200-million budget, Millennium Park is being funded through both city revenue bonds and a private fundraising campaign. Bonds totaling $150 million will pay for construction, with revenues from the new parking structure used to pay off the bonds. John Bryan, chairman and CEO of Sara Lee, and Donna La Pietra, executive producer of Kurtis Productions, are leading the private fundraising campaign which is anticipated to bring in approximately $30 to $50 million. “It is a virtual garden of the arts. I cannot tell you how exciting it is to be part of this history-making project,” said Bryan. Parking Garage Provides Foundation for Park The new underground parking garage will accommodate 2,400 cars, and will be built over and around active rail lines. Plans also include a bridge over the commuter railroad. Once construction of the garage structure is complete, pouring of the top slab will commence. Overall completing the garage and bridge will require 86,640 cubic meters (114,000 cu. yds.) of cast-in-place concrete and 16,763 square meters (186,250 sq. ft.) of precast concrete in addition to 3,690 metric tons (4,100 tons) of structural steel. Site preparation for this portion of the Millennium Park project required 175,864 cubic meters (231,100 cu. yds.) of excavation. Additionally, 13,892 square meters (154,360 sq. ft.) of sheet piling will be utilized in erecting the structure. With the tricky — and close-quartered — layout of the railroad lines, building the garage and park over this area of land required careful attention to the anchoring and stability of the structure. Two contracts were awarded to complete caisson work required to secure the garage foundation. Gillen Company, Milwaukee, WI, and Malcolm Drilling Company Inc., San Francisco, CA, were responsible for completing the work on the 954 caissons installed. which range in diameter from 90 centimeters (3 ft.) to 165 centimeters (5 ft. 6 in.). The Metra portion of the rail yard required a special caisson-drilling crane to maneuver around and in between the railroad tracks. According to Jeff Goliber, coordinating architect for Millennium Park Project, this compact rig was designed to fit into tight areas and made the installation of the 150 caissons in this section of the site much easier. Once the garage is finished. Millennium Park will be constructed above grade on top of the new parking garage and the reconstructed Grant Park North Garage. Crews will then lay the groundwork and construction of the new music pavilion will begin. The parking garage is slated for completion in the summer of 2000, and will be accessible from the upper and lower levels of Randolph Street and Columbus Drive. Additionally, bus and rail systems will run in an adjacent “multi-modal transit center” that will link Metra, South Shore, CTA bus lines, charter buses and automobiles, creating an ease of accessibility for everyone. “One of the greatest things about the design and construction of the park is that when it’s finished, people looking at the park would never know that there is a parking garage or railroad tracks underneath it. The design is intended to optimize and preserve the beauty of Chicago’s lakefront and skyline,” Goliber said New Music Pavilion Welcomes Grant Park Festival There was such overwhelming public interest in the design of the new Millennium Park Music Pavilion that architect Frank Gehry and park planners decided to present his preliminary design concepts at a reception in November 1999 attended by civic leaders and city officials. Gehry, design principal for the firm Frank O. Gehry and Associates Inc., is the winner of the Pritzker Prize in Architecture and the 1998 National Medal of Art. Although his designs were preliminary when unveiled, and changes will continue to be made as the pavilion is integrated into the overall park design. Gehry’s vision of the completed Music Pavilion has evoked high praise. “Its beauty is heart-stopping. It will fit wonderfully into the park and be a tremendous addition to the lakefront,” stated Uhlir. The Music Pavilion is scheduled to open in summer 2001, at which time the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus will establish residence there. Consisting of an outdoor band shell and the Great Lawn, the new Millennium Park Music Pavilion will become the permanent home of the Grant Park Music Festival, an icon of the Chicago music scene since 1935. The Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only remaining, municipally funded, free classical concert series. Various other musical events will be hosted at the Music Pavilion as well. The pavilion’s design features ribbons of sculptural stainless steel and a state-of-the-art, trellised sound system to provide the ultimate listening experience for all concert-goers. The sculptured exterior reflects Gehry’s unique style, wrapping the stage in a series of panels that emerge like the petals of a flower across the expanse. In total, approximately 1,170 metric tons (1,300 tons) of primary, secondary and sculptural forms of steel will be utilized to make Gehry’s design a reality. The stage interior. clad in Douglas fir, will feature a series of portable risers to accommodate an orchestra of up to 120 musicians. There will also be a choral terrace for 150 performers. The Music Pavilion’s sound-system will be suspended from a trellis that stretches across the entire 18,000-centimeter (600 ft.) length and 9,000-centimeter (300 ft.) width of the Great Lawn. Rising to approximately 1,800 centimeters (60 ft.) above the Great Lawn, the trellis will be shaped like a flattened dome and constructed of curved stainless steel pipes spaced 1,950 centimeters (65 ft.) apart. The construction of the trellis will require almost 315 metric tons (350 tons) of steel pipe and connections that range in size from 30.48 to 50.8 centimeters (12 to 20 in.). Cylindrical piers measuring 180 centimeters (6 ft.) in diameter will support the trellis structure. The new look of the Millennium Park Music Pavilion will be complemented by an entirely new sound when completed. According to Park Planners, the acoustic and audio systems will be the first permanent installation of its kind in the United States. Gehry is working with Talaske Group Inc., Chicago-based acoustical consultants, to design a system that partners state-of-the-art electronics with traditional acoustic design techniques. The end result will be an audio experience that consists of sound from the front, but completely envelop the listener as well. When completed, the Millennium Park Music Pavilion will accommodate approximately 12,000 to 14,000 people, and park planners and designers have apparently thought of everything when it comes to attending an event. The Pavilion’s turf will be a high-tech, sand-based lawn that will shed rain quickly, providing drier ground and a more enjoyable experience for concert-goers. Music and Dance Theater Chicago The Music and Dance Theater Chicago will be a 1,500-seat auditorium that will become the home of 12 nonprofit performing arts groups. including the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and the Old Town School of Folk Music. The theater stage and seating will be built into the lower levels of Randolph Street down to 600 centimeters (20 ft.) below grade. At ground level, a spectacular glass green house has been designed that will serve as the entrance pavilion for the Music and Dance Theater on the lower levels. The Green House Pavilion, measuring 450 square meters (5,000 sq. ft.). will be a public space for year-round use containing lush landscaping, a concession cafe and information center. By constructing the theater below grade and only the entrance at park level (a mere 0.5 percent of park land), designers have preserved the visual integrity of the overall park design. The Music and Dance Theater will be the only mid-sized theater in the downtown theater district. The intent is to make music and dance performances more accessible to a broader and more diverse range of audiences while offering expanded public programs in Millennium Park. The construction of the theater will offer additional benefits to park patrons, as well. For instance, outdoor performances can be moved indoors in case of inclement weather. Additionally, the Music and Dance Theater Chicago and the Millennium Park Music Pavilion will share common backstage facilities, providing savings for both groups. The Music and Dance Theater is being designed and constructed separately from the other park elements. Additional Park Enhancements and Features Millennium Park boasts many other enhancements and attractions intended for the pleasure of Chicago’s residents and visitors. An ice skating rink will be located on Michigan Avenue, between the North and South Lawns of the park. It will include an area below street level that will be used for equipment storage, as well as a warming house and restaurant facility. Chicago’s Summer Dance Program will occupy the ice rink area in the summer. The city of Chicago’s first Commuter Bicycle Center will be adjacent to the equipment storage area of the ice rink. Cyclists will enjoy bike storage, repair facilities and dressing rooms. The attended bike storage area will accommodate up to 500 bicycles. A $3-million gift by the Ameritech Foundation is making it possible for a new work of public art to be installed in Millennium Park. International artist Anish Kapoor’s seamless, stainless steel elliptical sculpture will be the first of his work installed in the United States. Its shiny surface will reflect the park’s landscape as well as Chicago’s skyline. The sculpture measures 900 centimeters (30 ft.) high and 1,800 centimeters (60 ft.) long and will be centrally situated in Millennium Park between Washington and Madison streets. The Kapoor piece will become another of Chicago’s famous public works of art. “[It] adds to the city’s rich public art tradition and will join the Picasso, the Chagall and the Dubuffet as a new Chicago icon,” said Mayor Daley. Park plans have also expanded to include the restoration of the historic Peristyle — a semi-circle of classical columns that adorned the site until it was torn down when the Grant Park North garage was built. Park planners and designers have updated Millennium Park’s original plan to include widened walkways and ramps (instead of stairs) to some elevated areas to ensure easy access for all who wish to enjoy all that Millennium Park has to offer. Finishing Touches In addition to all of the physical construction features of the park the finishing touches that go into the park design also impact its beauty and effect. For instance, when complete Millennium Park will sport more than 700 trees and 26,600 cubic meters (35,000 cu. yds.) of topsoil. And in all, 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of engineered turf system will be installed. Millennium Park is certainly one of the largest and most exciting new developments the city of Chicago has experienced in recent times. The completion of a project of this scope has required careful planning and coordination, and yet is not without issues. Goliber explained his role as coordinating architect for Millennium Park Project. “The biggest challenge in a project like this is that things are moving at a very quick pace, and the design can change. Since we’re dealing with numerous contractors and interfacing with other projects within the park, we need to be able to get correct and current information to them to make sure everything stays on track and on time,” he said. Millennium Park was originally planned to open in summer of 2000, but the schedule was designed to flex based upon community input and the inclusion of park enhancements and features not in the original design. At present time, all indications are that the Millennium Park project is on schedule: the opening of the park will coincide with the commencement of the Grant Park Music Festival 2001 season. “Our goal in all of this is to give Chicago — its residents and visitors — a useable park in summer 2001. At that time what you will see is a beautiful, completed park like anywhere else in Chicago,” Goliber concluded.
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