Chicago was built on a marsh, and the name is derived from an American Indian word meaning "stinky onion." But locals would prefer to believe Chicago sprung out of a natural landscape like the one found in Grant Park. Infact, after strolling through this majestic park it's difficult to believe that it's built on landfill.
The park was built on an historic landfill. In the aftermath of the Great Fire in 1871, rubble and ruin were carted to the edge of the lake and unceremoniously dumped in. There was quite a bit of rubble. The final result was a magnificent park whose 1836 charter states that it shall remain "forever open, clear and free." The park, once known as Lake Park, was renamed for the Civil War general who became our 18th President.
The Olmsted Brothers' plan of 1907 was never implemented, but its aesthetic, predicated on the formal gardens of Versailles, still informs the spirit of the park. Long avenues of trees line the lakefront and mask railroad tracks cutting through the park. Discrete spaces unfold for the pedestrian like rooms created out of lawns, shrubbery, and flowers.
Ivan Mestrovic's mounted warriors, erected in 1928 at the Congress Plaza entrance to the park, are known as "The Spearman" and "The Bowman." As you head toward the lake, look left to see Augustus Saint-Gaudens' second Chicago statue of Lincoln (the other is in Lincoln Park, east of the Chicago Historical Society). Ahead of you lies Buckingham Fountain, built in 1927. It was designed by competition winners Marcel François Loyau and Jacques Lambert, inspired by the waterworks of Versailles, but created from pink Georgia marble. Ironically, its hourly jets of water are now electronically controlled from Atlanta.
Aaron Montgomery Ward, of the Montgomery Wards, is the man we have to thank for the park's uncluttered spaces. Fighting an often unpopular battle against commercial interests, Ward fought for 20 years to keep Grant Park's greensward free for Chicago's poor, "not for the millionaires." A plan to build a large performing arts complex at the park's northwestern corner was completed in 2003.
Summer brings decorous aficionados of classical music to the Petrillo Music Shell; even a torrential downpour does not damp the spirits of the hardiest of these. More audibly enthusiastic crowds throng Petrillo and the surrounding lawn for rock concerts and the Blues, Jazz, Gospel, and Country Music Festivals. The Taste of Chicago, held the week of the Fourth of July, is a success for the millions of people who head to the park to sample foods of many lands. Music, giveaway booths, and kids' activities round out the Taste.
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