SPECIAL RECOGNITION
UNBUILT DESIGN
Chicago, Illinois
| Architect: | DLK Architecture Inc. | |
| Client/Owner: | name withheld |
Grant Park is the crown jewel of Chicago's park system and is a formal garden loosely based on the gardens of Versailles. But it is also home to the raucous festivals that send millions of visitors traipsing through its groves and parterres. This project reclaims much of the under-utilized railway areas to create a permanent home for Chicago's summer festival, the Taste of Chicago.
A second goal of this ensemble is to recognize and honor the crucial role trains have played in Chicago, the Midwest, and specifically in Grant Park. Below the new gardens and festival areas is a long overdue Railroad Museum. The festival grounds themselves feature gardens, plazas and extensive plantings, and offer large areas for the food festival with permanent and properly-sized infrastructure. When the festival is not present, the new grounds will blend with the rest of Grant Park, and provide places where people can gather and stroll.
