The Millennium Park

Kids having fun at the reflecting sculpture "Cloud Gate", Millennium Park ..


Kids enjoying summer at the "Crown Fountain", Millennium Park ...


A view of the "Pedestrian Bridge" with "Pritzker Pavilion" in the background, Millennium Park ...

Conceived in 1997, Millenium Park was officially opened in July 2004. It occupies about 24.5 acres in the northwest corner of Chicago’s Grant Park [319 acres].

This park is actually a garden on a roof-top. It was built to cover railway lines and automobile garage that provided an unpleasant view of the city ... Now it's one of the most ultra modern and interactive parks in the world with state-of-the-art fountains, musical theater, garden and pleanty of space to relax and unwind in the heart of the city ... Few of the outstanding features of this park are ...



Cloud Gate/ The Bean - by Anish Kapoor
one of the most popular outdoor sculptures of Chicago .. It's called Cloud Gate since a large portion of this sculpture reflects the sky ... However, Chicagoans call it the Bean ... since it looks like a giant mercury jellybean. This elliptical sculpture is actually a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, inspired by liquid mercury.
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Jay Pritzker Pavilion - by Frank Gehry
One of the "most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States" ... The pavilion boasts of the first outdoor LARES system permanently installed in the US. LARES is an acronym for an acoustical enhancement …“Lexicon Acoustic Reinforcement and Enhancement System”. It generates the reflected and reverberant energy that enables all the audience members throughout the Pavilion to experience that same sound quality ...
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Crown Fountain - by Jaume Plensa ..
This fountain is a modern interpretation of the traditional gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out ... These two towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens ...
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BP Pedestrian Bridge..
Named for energy firm BP, which donated $5 million toward its construction, it is the first Gehry-designed bridge to have been completed..
This 925-foot stainless steel "pedestrian" bridge is located at the far east section of Millennium Park connecting it to the "Daley Bicentennial Plaza".
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Wrigley Square and Millennium Monument ..
Etched in stone on the base of the Millennium Monument are the names of the founders of Millennium Park. These individuals, corporations and foundations provided generous monetary contribution for the creation and conservation of Millennium Park ...
# For more, click here ..



RELATED LINKS..
# Cloud Gate / The Bean - by Anish Kapoor...
# Jay Pritzker Pavilion - by Frank Gehry..
# Crown Fountain - by Jaume Plensa..
# BP Pedestrian Bridge - by Frank Gehry..
# Wrigley Square & Millennium Monumnet..

Chicago - Millennium Park / Crown Fountain - by Jaume Plensa

 

Crown Fountain - by Jaume Plensa

Location: Millennium Park



The "Crown Fountain" is designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. The fountain consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens. The fountain is a modern interpretation of the traditional gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out.

Chicago - Millennium Park / The Cloud Gate / The Bean - by Anish Kapoor

The "Cloud Gate" ... one of the most popular outdoor sculptures of Chicago. This elliptical sculpture is actually a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, inspired by liquid mercury. Designed by British Anish Kapoor, it's named "Cloud Gate", since a large portion of the sculpture reflects the skyline.

However Chicagoans call it "The Bean" ... because of it looks like a giant mercury jellybean. The 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture. Measuring 66-feet long, 33-feet high and 42-feet wide [weighing 110 tons] ... it is one of the largest sculptures of its kind in the world ... and easily one of Chicagoans favourite!

Chicago - Millennium Park / Jay Pritzker Pavilion - by Frank Gehry

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, is the "most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States" ... "The Pavilion stands 120-feet high, with a billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons that frame the stage opening and connect to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes". It is designed by the world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. It has 4,000 fixed seats plus additional lawn seating for 7,000..

Chicago - Millennium Park / The BP Pedestrian Bridge - by Frank Gehry

The BP Pedestrian Bridge..
By Frank Gehry

"Chicago, in my humble opinion, is, architecturally, the best American city traditionally and just visually. It's so exciting".
~ Frank Gehry..

Named for energy firm BP, which donated $5 million toward its construction, it is the first Gehry-designed bridge to have been completed..
This 925-foot stainless steel "pedestrian" bridge is located at the far east section of Millennium Park connecting it to the "Daley Bicentennial Plaza". In the photo we see the "Pritzker Pavilion" in the background. The bridge complements the Pritzker Pavilion in "design" as well as "function" by creating an acoustic barrier from the traffic noise below. It also has a 5% slope to allow easy access for people who are physically challenged.

Millennium Park [Wrigley Square and Millennium Monument]

Wrigley Square and Millennium Monument

Located on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, the tree-lined area of Wrigley Square is an inviting open space for visitors to relax on the lawn or stroll paths. The Square is anchored by the Millennium Monument (Peristyle), a nearly full-sized replica of the original peristyle that stood in the same location between 1917 and 1953. With its graceful semi-circular row of Doric-style columns that rise nearly 40 feet, the Millennium Monument ties the past to the present and supports the designation of Michigan Avenue as a landmark district.

Etched in stone on the base of the Millennium Monument in Wrigley Square are the names of the founders of Millennium Park. These individuals, corporations and foundations provided generous monetary contribution for the creation and conservation of Millennium Park.

The square and peristyle have been made possible by a gift from the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Foundation.

RELATED LINKS..
The Millennium Park...

A park-wide reforestation program - Grant Park

Click on the image for enlarged view ...

Grant Park is still home to the largest stand of American elm trees anywhere in the country. However, over the years, the spectacular displays of elms, flowering crab apples, lilacs, and other shade trees declined. So remedy this, a park-wide restoration project is underway... together with the Chicago Park District. The Conservancy has developed a tree replacement plan for every missing tree in Grant Park.