Burnham at 100: Forever Open, Clear and Free? (original) (raw)

Architecture Thu Mar 05 2009

The epic battle for Chicago's lakefront continues. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Burnham Plan of Chicago, the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects announced a contest to create a Burnham memorial that would, "inspire and educate the public, and honor the memory and importance of Daniel Burnham and his Plan of Chicago."

The competition, backed by the Field Museum and the Richard H. Driehaus charitable trust and endorsed by the Chicago Parks District, is under fire from some who criticize the proposed site of the memorial: on the lakefront lawn of the Field Museum.

Ever since Burnham uttered the famous words, that Chicago's lakefront "by right, belongs to the people," citizens have been up in arms about what belongs in the parks along the shore and what doesn't, from Lake Shore Drive, to the proposed site of the Chicago Children's Museum, to the spaceship that crashed into a Bears game.

Granted, the proposed competition doesn't guarantee that the winning design will actually be built, but as the Chicago Tribune reports, there are some big financial backers invested in the project.

Some Burnham fans, however, are less interested in building a memorial and more interested in continuing Burnham's legacy as an urban planner, "to ensure that metropolitan Chicago continues to be one of the world's best places to live and work." The Burnham Plan Centennial is hosting a series of events this month that explore Burnham's original plan and how his ideas will shape the future of Chicago's urban landscape, lakefront and beyond.