Millennium Park: Creating a Chicago Landmark

This is a very richly detailed history with beautiful photos and excellent background on the many alternatives that were proposed over the years for the 25-acre site that has become a spectacular success story in urban revitalization.

The avowed purpose of Millennium Park is to memorialize, via the reactions of ordinary citizens, the contribution this great city made to public art. It works really well that way. Ordinary people who visit express consistent delight in what they see and experience, 365 days a year, in a city not known for friendly outdoor weather. So, this has been a success, despite the temptation to conclude that government-created art will inevitably be pedestrian (no pun intended) or bureaucratic in nature. Debate the "art part" as much as you will - this place delights people, and this book helps us understand how that happens.

For those who appreciate the City of Chicago, and have visited -- or are planning to visit -- the Millenniun Park on the Lakefront, the book explains in detail the evolution of the site, and why and how the current, impressing architectural, artistic and landscaping complex has been conceived and built. How it influences the view of the City from the Lake, and the urbanism of the whole area.

This book is quite beautiful and contains a huge amount of information about the origins, creation and current use of Millennium Park in Chicago. I purchased it for a friend, as a hostess gift, when I went to visit her. Had I seen the book before purchasing it, I might not have done so, given its "textbook" quality. I'm not sure the casual reader would be interested in all the details provided but it certainly is an impressive collection of information.

Beautiful pictures. Well-written descrption from its inception to conclusion, with good bibliography.