{"id":5276,"date":"2018-08-21T22:11:28","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T22:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loopchicagodev.wpenginepowered.com\/from-rail-yard-to-chicagos-front-yard-millennium-park\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T21:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T21:31:07","slug":"from-rail-yard-to-chicagos-front-yard-millennium-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loopchicago.com\/es\/chicago-loop-blog\/from-rail-yard-to-chicagos-front-yard-millennium-park\/","title":{"rendered":"From Rail Yard to Chicago’s Front Yard: Millennium Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve written about Millennium Park in a few different contexts already, but this time \u2013 in celebration of the Park’s tenth anniversary today \u2013 let\u2019s talk Chicago history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Longtime Chicagoans will recall that Mayor Richard M. Daley officially announced the plans for Chicago\u2019s great park in March 1998. Six years later, following a host of cost increases, design changes, delays, and flexing of mayoral muscles, the unsightly rail yard had transformed into one of the world’s most beautiful\u00a0green roofs<\/a>, recently\u00a0ranked third<\/a>\u00a0among all American parks as a tourist attraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Chicago-Style Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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(Rail Yard pre-Millennium Park, Chicago Loop | Photo: City of Chicago)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millennium Park\u2019s origin story is a classic Chicago tale, echoing that of the\u00a01893 World\u2019s Columbian Exposition<\/a>: as the world watches with growing interest, the American city with so much to prove struggles with an ambitious project and, in the end, prevails triumphantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea of replacing the rail yard with a park was first floated in the late 1970’s, but it was stymied by city government before it got off the ground. After all, the rail yard was still a valuable asset \u2013 Daniel Burnham considered it “untouchable” in his\u00a01909 Plan of Chicago<\/a>. By 1997, though, the idea had resurfaced, when Mayor Richard M. Daley one day found himself\u00a0uninspired by the view<\/a>\u00a0of the rail yard from his dentist’s office on Michigan Avenue, saying “Let’s cover it with a park.” Or so the story goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the first and greatest challenges for both projects was funding. For Mayor Daley’s park, like Burnham’s Fair, the solution was the private sector. Daley tapped John Bryan, a former Sara Lee CEO, to raise funds in the private sector with only his connections and the initial design in hand. Bryan proved adept to the task, garnering incredible financial support from big names such as Cindy Pritzker and Steve Crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pritzker\u2019s support became invaluable at one of the major turning points of the whole project: securing renowned architect Frank Gehry to design the\u00a0Jay Pritzker Pavilion<\/a>. Though he had loved Chicago all of his life, Gehry was initially skeptical of the project, feeling that the initial designs he received were too restrictive. He had, however, been the recipient of the 1989 Pritzker Architecture Prize, and on hearing that Cindy Pritzker was involved, Gehry reconsidered and ultimately designed the modernist Pavilion and the nearby BP Pedestrian Bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having Gehry on board really put wind in the sails. For one thing, his work solidified Daley\u2019s vision of creating an\u00a0indisputably modernist park<\/a>. Gehry’s presence also made finding additional bold, talented artists and architects that much easier. Jaume Plensa designed\u00a0Crown Fountain<\/a>, inspired both by Spanish gargoyles spitting water and his own dream to walk on water. Anish Kapoor came up with\u00a0Cloud Gate<\/a>, which, though it took a two year extension and about $17 million on top of the initial budget of $6 million to complete, stands proud as one of the iconic features of the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, Millennium Park, Chicago | Photo: Choose Chicago)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Chicago, what truly differentiates Daley\u2019s Millennium Park today from Burnham\u2019s 1893 World\u2019s Fair is permanence. Millennium Park is still operating\u00a0and growing<\/a>, while the World\u2019s Fair all but vanished after the event (as intended).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time it was finished, Millennium Park exceeded its original $150 million budget three times over. Cloud Gate, Crown Fountain, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chase Promenade, Harris Theater, the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, McDonald\u2019s Cycle Center, Lurie Garden and Wrigley Square were all part of the grand opening ceremony in 2004. Since the ceremony, though, quite a few\u00a0features and amenities<\/a>\u00a0have been added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n