Mayor Mick's Dream Park?
Chicago's Millennium Park - Mayor Mick Cornett's inspiration for a Core to Shore central park?
So how ambitious is Mayor Mick?
When it comes to Core to Shore, he might have let a hint or two slip about what he envisions when it comes to a new “central park” that is to be the area’s main attraction.
Speaking at a recent OKC Rotary luncheon, Cornett mentioned just one park as an example of what was on his mind: Chicago’s Millennium Park.
(At this point those of you who are familiar with Chicago surely just let out a big gasp).
Millennium Park isn’t that old. Construction began in 1998 and it opened in July, 2004. It’s really something to behold, especially considering it qualifies as the world’s largest rooftop garden.
It didn’t come cheap – budget overruns brought the pricetag to just under $500 million. But it’s having a substantial impact on Chicago, the city’s quality of life and image.
This park is so big I’ll need three or four posts just to lay it all out. Consider this the intro. I’ll be back later today with more.
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Comments
I don’t know much about Millenium Park, so I look foward to your posts about it, Steve. I’ve just heard great things about it. Some things I would be interested in hearing about are: (1) size comparisons, (2) were existing buildings/landmarks incorporated into the design (something like Union Station in OKC), (3) is there anything Chicago leaders wish they would have done differently.
But with Millenium costing upwards of $500 million, and our projected cost of a new convention center being $250-400 million, how much would be left for mass transit? But if our park is significantly smaller than Millenium, then that helps. Maybe something along the lines of $250 million park, $300 million convention center, $300 million transit (what would that get us?), $50 million other smaller projects. I don’t know– it’s just some thoughts.
Having spent quite a bit of time in Millenium Park and I can tell you it is an amazing space to be in. It really has become the heart of the city. My fav is the Clould Gate.
My only fear is the we will try to stick so much stuff into the park, that there will be no green space in which to play.
$500M is cheap when the Mayor has already said the cost of just the Core to Shore is going to cost $3 BILLION over 30 years (mix of public and private, but ratio was never given). This doesn’t count all of the other elements of MAPS 3 (whatever they might be).
lets give the mayor the boot and get someone in office that cares about the whole city not just three mile area from down town to the river. have ever you drove out to britton road and seen all the apt buildings boarded up and fence off. or drive down some of our roads and feel like your front end just got knock off from a pot hole. or the lack of enough police to respond in time. equipment at water dept out dated. Its time we make the mayor acountable for his office and city council as well, enough maps projects and hiring consultants before we even decide on anything and lets fix what is wrong before we go off try cause more problems.
One of the things that makes Millenium Park so magical is that it hosts free diverse music every night in the summer. People bring blankets, lawn chairs, portable tables, food and wine. I even saw a man bring his martini shaker and glass to enjoy some classical music. Just think at the business that nearby grocers get! It’s such a nice lawn and perfect sound that one of the best places to be in a bustling city like Chicago is to laying back and looking up in peace. Then, you can take the bus, train or bike home along the lakeshore.
It’s probably the best park I’ve ever been to! I love the outdoor performance space (woven space in the center foreground of the photo). If we aspired to only that in the Core to Shore planning, I think it would be a great success.