Newspaper reports don't reflect park's value

Newspaper reports on the Chicago Children's Museum bid to take over the Daley Bicentennial Plaza site reveal little about the popularity of the Daley Bicentennial Plaza and surrounding facilities, or the role of these facilities in the expanding residential community just steps north of Grant Park. An April 4, 2006 article in the Chicago Tribune focused on Peter England, President of the Chicago Children's Museum. That article referred to the Daley Bicentennial Plaza as "a lightly traveled but highly prized site." A February 8 piece in the Chicago Sun-Times called it "a lonely patch of Grant Park." And on January 25, the Chicago Journal called it "the drab Daley Bi."

Neighborhood residents don't share this outlook. Indeed, on February 1, just days after the Chicago Journal called the plaza drab, the same paper reported that the President of The Grant Park Advisory Council, had "been flooded by calls from community members who use the Daley Bi skate rink and appreciate its more low-key ambience compared to Millennium Park’s rink."

The plaza has long been the neighborhood fieldhouse for residents of nearby high-rise buildings - The Buckingham, Outer Drive East, Harbor Point, The Park Shore and North Harbor Tower all lie within two blocks of the plaza, and these have been joined by new buildings completed last year on Field Drive just north of the park. More residential high-rises are under construction on Field Drive and Randolph Street today. The plaza is open to all, of course, and is the nearest fieldhouse and resource for city offerings such as fitness classes, tennis courts and children's activities for residents living much more than one or two blocks away.

Private Interests Eye Daley Bicentennial Plaza

Daley Bicentennial Plaza is located within Grant Park on Chicago's downtown lakefront. Grant Park, which dates back to the early 19th century, is situated on a large plot of land in the heart of the city. No permanent buildings may be constructed in Grant Park. Indeed, the fieldhouse at Daley Bicentennial Plaza, a neighborhood recreation area, is located below street level. Many passersby on Randolph Street have no idea that the fieldhouse lies just below.

From the start, commercial and other private interests eyed this attractive parcel of real estate. Local leaders fought to preserve Grant Park as open land; most notable of these was the merchant A. Montgomery Ward, who repeatedly took his fight as far as the Illinois Supreme Court, and won. Forever Open, Clear, and Free : The Struggle for Chicago's Lakefront (by Lois Wille, published by University of Chicago Press) details many challenges to the public nature of the park and the efforts of those who took on the task of preserving it.

Chicago has not seen the end of attempts to encroach on Grant Park. Most recent, and still in play, is the Chicago Children's Museum's bid to move to Daley Bicentennial Plaza. Currently located in a large space on Chicago's Navy Pier, and enjoying a 99 year lease at the modest rent of $1 per year, the museum still is unsure of the suitability of the Navy Pier location for its future. [Chicago Tribune article on the Chicago Children's Museum bid to take over Daley Bicentennial Plaza. This article may require registration to access.]

Why Save Daley Bicentennial Plaza?

Daley Bicentennial Plaza is the heart of neighborhood and family living for thousands of residents of downtown Chicago. It's also a place of rest and recreation for those who work in nearby offices. Visitors who come to see popular downtown tourist attractions may take a quiet break at this friendly field house and playlot.

You can find Daley Bicentennial Plaza in the Northeast corner of Grant Park at 337 E. Randolph Street. It's inconspicuous. From Randolph Street, you might not even notice that it is there - the fieldhouse is below street level. You might spot the play area, especially on a summer afternoon, when it is filled with neighborhood children and their parents. Or the busy tennis courts. In the winter, the ice rink, bustling with life, would surely catch your eye.

The fieldhouse is more than a place to get in from the cold or the rain. It's home to fitness classes, neighborhood meetings, and much-needed park district programs including a summer day camp for school age children. It's a daily meeting place for those who choose to make the heart of the city a home and not just a stop on the way to life in the suburbs.

This important neighborhood institution is at risk of being overtaken by a tourist attraction. Please return in the days to come and learn what's threatening Daley Bicentennial Plaza and how you can help to preserve it.