Chicago
Millennium Park
 First
planned in 1997 as a way to create new parkland in Grant Park and
transform unsightly railroad tracks and parking lots, Millennium Park has
evolved into the most significant millennium project in the world. And the
reviews are already in. "Millennium Park," says one prominent civic
leader, "will be a worthy creation for all time. It will define Chicago to
the entire world as America’s greatest city."
Located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe
Streets, the 24.5-acre park is an unprecedented center for world-class
art, music, architecture and landscape design, where you can experience
everything from interactive public art and ice skating to al fresco dining
and free classical music presentations by the Grant Park Orchestra and
Chorus. Among the park’s prominent features is the dazzling Jay Pritzker
Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the
United States, designed by Frank Gehry, one of the world’s greatest living
architects.
OTHER
MILLENNIUM PARK INFORMATION
MILLENNIUM PARK
ATTRACTIONS
Jay Pritzker Pavilion
The pavilion stands 120-feet high, with a billowing "headdress" of
stainless steel ribbons that frame the proscenium opening, connecting to
an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes that define the lawn
seating area. The Pavilion has 4,000 fixed seats and capacity for an
additional 7,000 people on the lawn. 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.
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info...
BP Bridge
The BP Bridge, a sinuous pedestrian bridge designed by Frank 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 only Gehry-designed bridge in the world, the 925-foot long BP Bridge
is clad in stainless steel panels and has a gentle slope and hardwood
deck. It will also provide an acoustic barrier between the audience and
the traffic noise on Columbus Drive.
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Chase Promenade
The Chase Promenade crosses the park and provides an area for year-round
free cultural programming, including ethnic festivals, fairs, exhibitions,
and family events. Centrally located in Millennium Park, this three-block
long walkway creates a beautiful outdoor area between Randolph and Monroe
Streets, welcoming visitors to experience a wide variety of activities in
the park.
More info...
Crown Fountain
Designed by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, the Crown Fountain features
two 50-foot high glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting
pool. The towers are activated with changing video images and lights, and
water cascades from the top of each. Anchoring the southwest corner of
Millennium Park at Michigan Avenue and Monroe Streets, the Crown Fountain
is a major addition to the city’s world-renowned public art collection.
Inspired by the people of Chicago whose faces appear on the glass towers’
changing video images, this site-specific work creates both a unique
meeting point and a dynamic space for silent reflection. Utilizing water,
light, and glass, Plensa has created a bold statement that is sure to
stimulate passers-by and invite them to enter and experience Millennium
Park.
More info...
Exelon Pavilions Harris Theater
Opening in the Fall, the Exelon Pavilions are located on Randolph
Street to the east and west of the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater
for Music and Dance and on Monroe Street to the east and west of the Lurie
Garden. The northeast Exelon Pavilion on Randolph Street provides access
to parking below and the northwest Pavilion also serves as a welcome
center providing orientation to Millennium Park and a venue for special
exhibitions on energy, parks and other themes. Elevator access to parking
below from the street and terrace levels is located in both pavilions.
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Harris Theater
The state-of-the-art Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and
Dance opened in November 2003 and has become the city's prime indoor
performance space for mid-sized arts organizations, lauded for its
excellent sightlines and acoustics. The theater seats 1,525 and offers
programs ranging from classical ballet and contemporary dance to
classical, chamber, opera and folk music.
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Kapoor Sculpture on SBC Plaza
(Cloud Gate)
video
of "The Bean"
A major feature of Millennium Park is the 110-ton elliptical sculpture
designed by the celebrated British artist Anish Kapoor, one of the most
prolific and respected sculptors in the world. "Cloud Gate," the
monumental sculpture located on SBC Plaza was named by the artist on June
29 when the final panel of the elliptical sculpture was installed.
The sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly-polished stainless
steel "plates" that create an elliptically-arched, highly reflective work
with Chicago’s skyline and Millennium Park itself as a dramatic backdrop.
Visitors will be able to fully experience the majestic nature of the work
by literally walking through and around, as it was designed for public
interaction. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the
largest in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high.
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Lurie Garden
Designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert
Israel, Millennium Park’s Lurie Garden is a unique combination of spatial
structure, plantings and lighting design. 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
varied sensory experience throughout the seasons, day and night.
More info...
McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink
55 North Michigan Avenue
Phone: 312-742-5222 or
877-244-2246
Bring the family to Chicago's
newest, downtown park, Millennium Park, and enjoy a day of ice-skating in
the heart of downtown. Then warm up in The Park Grill restaurant. Free
except for skate rental.The
ice rink, 200 feet long and 80 feet wide, totals 15,910 square-feet of
skating surface. Its construction was funded by a grant from the Tribune
Foundation. Admission is free. Price: $9 for skate rental.
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info...
Wrigley Square & Millennium Monument
Located in Millennium Park 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 creates an imposing presence that
can be seen up and down Michigan Avenue.
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info...
TOURS
The Millennium Park Greeters, a service
of the Chicago Greeter program, offers informal walking tours of
Millennium Park, every Wednesday - Friday from 10am - 4pm. These 45-minute
visits are free, and are intended for groups smaller than 10. Larger
groups can purchase walking tours through the Chicago Architecture
Foundation,
www.architecture.org
BOOK ON MILLENNIUM PARK
|
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Millennium Park
by Timothy Gilfoyle
This book captures all the behind the scenes happenings in the
planning and construction of this jewel of downtown Chicago. New for
2006!
Order the Book |
BIKE FACILITY
Millennium
Park Bicycle Station
239 E. Randolph, Chicago, IL 60601
312-744-4069, email:
info@chicagobikestation.com
The Millennium Park Bicycle Station is a top of the line bicycle commuter
facility located on the edge of Millennium Park. MPBS is the only station
of its kind in the Midwest. This station allows for free bicycle parking,
locker rooms, and bicycle mechanic services. Open year round, Millennium
Park Bicycle Station has bicycle rentals and tours available.
Bike Chicago Rentals &
Tours
Navy Pier, North Ave. Beach, Millennium Park
312-595-9600 info@bikechicago.com
Chicago’s #1 Bicycle Rental & Tours Company Since 1993.Chicago’s lakefront
is a biking paradise! Over 18 miles of lakefront trails make it easy and
safe to ride in Chicago. The bike rental shops are conveniently located
along the trail at Navy Pier, Chicago’s #1 destination and North Ave. Beach,
Chicago’s hottest Beach. Bike Chicago Rentals & Tours accommodates
individuals as well as large groups. Over 200 bikes and skates to choose
from. Helmets and locks are free! Guided tours depart daily from Navy Pier
at 10:30am, 1:30pm and from North Ave. Beach at 11:00am and 2:00 pm. Open
daily from 8:00am until 10:00pm April 1st through October 31st. For
reservations and group sales call 312-595-9600
OFFICIAL
MILLENNIUM PARK LINKS
OTHER MILLENNIUM
PARK LINKS
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Guided Food-Tasting Tour |
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