Chicago's Millennium Park Piles On The Culture With New Pavilions
Forget the mirror-finish "Cloud Gate" sculpture, otherwise known simply as "The Bean" by Anish Kapoor, Chicago's Millennium Park has blossomed into something even greater than a sanctuary for great architecture and green space—it's become a work of art all it's own.
From all sides, Millennium Park is the place to visit in Chicago; the north holds Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion auditorium and lawn, the south end is the Art Institute with its new Modern wing, the east edge of the park is the lakefront and harbor, and the west edge pulses with Michigan Avenue. Everything within the park continues to grow; from a huge garden of indigenous-to-Illinois plants to the sculptures scattered throughout.
The absolute freshest addition to this garden of al fresco delights, aside from a wading stream, are the two Burnham Pavilions being built to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the city plan. The first (pictured above), designed by Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, has been up for almost a month now and will remain until late October. It's neighbor by architect Zaha Hadid, however, lags severely behind.
Although both pavilions were supposed to have been completed by June 19, the UFO-like, ridged pod from Zaha Hadid won't be open for another two weeks—this we learned firsthand from speaking with the construction team onsite. It is this pavilion which will show video art of Chicago's history and future. Judging from the complexity of the structure as seen in the above picture, it should be left up past October 31, but then the winter lake winds begin to blow.
In the meantime, the new Modern wing of the Art Institute has opened, and we recommend walking through the Chicago garden and down the wading stream path to reach the flume-like bridge which culminates in the Modern wing's restaurant entrance. Chase a museum visit with a trek back to the Pritzker lawn for one of the almost-nightly open-air concerts. All this in a single city park; that's Chicago for you.
Related Stories:
· Chicago's 'Bean' To Get Some Serious Competition This Summer [Jaunted]
· Eggs Benedict And Olafur Eliasson At Chicago's MCA [Jaunted]
[Photos: Jaunted]
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