Plenty of Options
The Chicago Children's Museum has long insisted that the location of the existing Daley Bicentennial Plaza in Grant Park is the only one acceptable option for its proposed 100,000 square foot building, despite laws prohibiting building in Grant Park and strong opposition from Chicagoans throughout the city. Alderman Brendan Reilly disagrees, and he has offered a list of 24 alternatives.
Museum Campus
Northerly Island
Logan Square
Garfield Park Conservatory
Pritzker Park
Washington Park
Bronzeville
Calumet Park
Englewood
State and Van Buren
McCormick Place East
Museum of Broadcast History
Chicago Riverwalk (South Bank at Lake Michigan)
Michigan and Roosevelt (South Loop)
Notebaert Nature Museum (Lincoln Park)
Lincoln Park Zoo (adjacent to zoo)
Old U.S. Post Office
Chicago Athletic Association (South Michigan Ave.)
Carson Pirie Scott Building (State Street)
Former Brach's Candy Factory
U.S. Cellular Field (adjacent to ballpark)
Expansion on Navy Pier
Montrose Park
1 S. Dearborn (50 percent vacant)
"To suggest there is only one location where the museum can succeed and thrive in Grant Park doesn't pass the smell test," Reilly said.
Chicago Sun-Times, February 21, 2008
posted by Meta Brown at 5:14 AM
39 Comments:
I like expanding at Navy Pier, which is going through an expansion anyway.
Leaving downtown, Washington Park makes alot of sense. The DuSable Museum is there, the Museum of Science and Industry, and perhaps the Olympics soomeday.
This is a large city--and so many neighborhoods could provide a better location--one that is mutually beneficial to the museum and the residents.
http://savedaleybicentennialplaza.blogspot.com/
Stay and expand at Navy Pier! It is the number 1 tourist attraction in the state! The lot at State and Van Buren is also downtown and right on an el line, major bus lines and the expressway. It is also right next door to Harold Washington Library. They could do all kinds of joint programming.
Love the idea about looking for places that offer opportunities for joint programming.
If the Chicago Children's Museum took a small fraction of the time they've put against the ill-conceived idea of a move to Grant Park and instead, devoted it towards finding opportunities like this, I'm sure they could come up with something fantastic!
By moving to Daley Bi the Children's Museum would eliminate the neighborhood ice rink and impinge on the already smallish adjacent kids park with only 6 swings and a couple slides. The land is legally protected, there are many other more suitable sites that would actually welcome the museum, and putting the museum in another site wouldn't take away from an existing part. It could actually be a welcome addition to many neighborhoods instead of taking away from the Grant Park.
There are so many alternative sites that would be great. I like the idea of the old U.S. Post Office. There is plenty of space and they could expand in the future. Just think about their previous locations and why they moved. But best of all, the Children's Museum could build a state-of-the art greenhouse (any architect would love that project)in the middle of the city.
I hope the CCM would consider moving to Northerly Island. What a great location, close to the other Museums and the lakefront. It would be a wonderful day with the kids to hit all of those sites in one or two days.
Grant Park is a treasure and hopefully it will be for years to come.
P. Charles
I hope the CCM would consider moving to Northerly Island. What a great location, close to the other Museums and the lakefront. It would be a wonderful day with the kids to hit all of those sites in one or two days.
Grant Park is a treasure and hopefully it will be for years to come.
P. Charles
I'd rather have the children's museum on Northerly Island where it's near the other museums and right by the water. I don't want to have to drive or take the bus all over Chicago with my children if I don't have to.
I hope that the CCM considers these alternate suggestions, as they all make a great deal of sense...far more sense then trying to gain access to a location that would ensure a legal fight for years to come, and come up a loss for them anyway. I wish they would consider these options!
Becca
The Carson Pirie Scott Building is a great option. It's even more convenient for ALL of Chicagoan's than Navy Pier which is not as easy to get to, and is less accessible to those that are on a tight income! No matter which direction a visitor is coming from, or if they are in a car or on public transportation, all lines lead to the loop. I can think of 15 bus lines off-hand, and all the EL trains, and they all stop right on that corner, or within one block!
Maximilian Bachleda
CCM should definitely invest some time and money in considering these other excellent locations. After such a large opposition to the Grant Park location why wouldn't CCM consider alternative sites?
Michelle Charles
I think Garfield Park would make an excellent site. It is a forgotten treasure. The Conservatory needs a partner to draw visitors to the park. It is easily accessible by the Green Line, and close to I290 making it easy for school buses to access the museum. There is plenty of room for parking.
Linda Gibboney
I guess I just do not understand why CCM is so opposed to assisting poorer areas by moving their facilities nearby. For instance, The Garfield Park Conservatory woudl benefit greatly with the CCM nearby. Imagine the impact that this would have by bringing families and visitors to the area. This is why the Children's Museum of Indianapoplis does so well. The museum moved to a depressed area and has since breathed new life into that area. Is the CCM too good for this? The museum in Indianapolis is #1. Maybe CCM should wake up and start taking notes! And gee, maybe children from homes not so glamarous as many of ours could benefit from a museum in their backyard. This is not and should not be a museum for the wealthy who can afford to come to Chicago, park, eat and pay admission. This is for the children (of all incomes!!). Wake up Pritzker and Daley!
Diplomacy is most likely the reason that the alderman stopped at only 24 possible sites to build a world-class children’s museum. 24 possible sites? I come up with 24 new sites every week. The latest idea—Congress Hotel. Congress Hotel is regarded as a disgrace, identified as a decaying eyesore with no logical plan for renewal. What an incredible adaptive reuse opportunity, in an accessible location, almost in the lap of the sought-after neighbor--the Art Institute of Chicago.
The reason the site chosen by the CCM is at Daley Bi is all about the Pritzer Family and power. Each Pritzer seems to think s/he should have a piece of Grant Park. This is a real land grab. If the Pritzers and CCM really wanted to serve children, particularly Chicago children, they would locate out in the neighborhoods. Kohl's Children's Museum serves the north suburbs. CCM should follow its name, move out of the downtown area and into the South or West Side where they might make a real difference in some children's and families' lives.
Alderman Reilly has proposed a number of excellent alternatives for CCM, all of which are accessible to all Chicagoans and tourists alike. Why CCM and the Mayor think putting the children below ground in Grant Park is a better choice than the Museum Campus or other alternatives continues to baffle thousands of Chicagoans and everyone else trying to protect the open space of our beautiful landmark park.
I like the idea of putting it under the park. Losing a bunch of underground parking spaces is fine with me.
The Children's Museum should be in the Museum Campus so families can conveniently spend a day visiting all the wonderful museums located in the campus. It would be a boon to the Children's Museum to also have all the tourists visiting the Field Museum, etc. visit them.
A win-win for all the museums.
Jack S.
I think that Navy Pier would be the best alternative. Leave Grant Park alone
I like the Garfield Park location. It's convenient for both drivers and transit riders, the Conservatory is an overlooked gem in the city, and that neighborhood could use a boost like this.
Why not build it on the parcel of land the Mayor doesn't want the Wal Mart on?
The Children's Museum is an important educational and cultural institution. But using the argument that placing the museum in Grant Park somehow makes the park more accessible to all of Chicago is silly. It sounds nice, but uses an appeal for Children that doesn't make sense. It's not like children from outlying neighborhoods will find Grant Park easily accessible by car, or can afford the pricey restaurants around Grant Park. How about another appeal for Chicago's children surrounding health and environmental awareness. Grant Park is one of the few large parks in the city that has large green spaces and athletic facilities. Aren't those goals just as important for children? Preserving Grant Park's green space is vital. The city and park district have already crowded the park with new food kiosks, art installations, dog parks and the like. We need to preserve green space and the integrity of the park.
Lincoln Park is already having difficulties with congestion, traffic problems, and overbuilding. We are busy coping with the Latin School soccer field problem there. We are opposed to additional development in Lincoln Park.
Garfield Park would be a great place to develop this kind of facility. I know what the Children's Museum people are thinking: The death of their museum by putting it out in the middle of nowhere. But that is not what would happen. The museum already has enormous cachet and, if convenient to reach, it would draw at least as many visitors as before to Garfield Park, which is easily accessible both by transit and auto. It would also spur additional needed development there.
Mayor Daley's obsession with choking the downtown area with amenities goes against the neighborhood concept of our city, stuffs already crowded areas, and shortchanges other neighborhoods that need new amenities. Just watch what he is attempting to do with the Olympics.
And by the way: Please visit http://savelincolnpark.org to sign our petition to stop the Latin School soccer stadium in Lincoln Park.
Come on, we all know the real reason the Mayor can`t swwm to find a better spot to put the childrens museum don`t we. It will not only draw families to the park, which has enough of a draw as a park alone should have; it will force,encourage, however you want to put it,Families to park in the underused underground parking garage at exorbitant rates. The garage has been a white elephant all it`s short life and is not paying anywhere the dividends it was supposed to so what better fix than another attraction. By the way it`s been how many years since meigs was destroyed and are we going to the fabled Maggie Daley Nature Preserve yet. NO? Why not? They got a moneymaking machine set up as soon as possible with the Northerly Island concert venue wich includes a serious parking charge and expensive concessions. This my friend is how the city that works really works.
Millenium Park beautified want use to be an eyesore of the below Metra tracks. The Childrens Museum should purchase the air space above the tracks at Roosevelt. This location would incorporate them into the Museum Campus concept and make them accessible to patrons who solely rely on public transportation.
NOW THAT THE MAYOR HAS MADE A MESS OF NORTHERLY ISLAND LET HIM REDEEM HIMSELF AND THE ISLAND BY PUTTING THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM THERE - OR WON'T QUEEN CINDY LET HIM.
My friends and I play tennis in this
park twice a week. We enjoy the park and have been playing there for years. We attended the original meetings and saw the plans. We appreciate Alderman Reilly's candor and hope he will be heard in the city council. I am not in his ward but I have contacted my Alderman with my opinion. Mayor Daley insults all of us when he plays the race card. Kay Golden
Bring this museum to Uptown! We have a huge vacant lot near Broadway and Montrose that would make a great location!
The alternate locations in Lincoln Park are bad ideas. Lincoln Park (south of Diversey) is the best example of why an institution should not be added to Grant Park (underground or not). In summer Lincoln Park is filled with tents, blankets, beach equipment, tables, chairs, loungers, coolers, grills, portable stoves, resultant trash and people. It is no longer an enjoyable green space, and traffic is bumper to bumper.
I think expanding in Navy Pier is the best idea and I understand the Pier is willing to accomodate. The next best alternative is in Museum Campus where families can visit more than one attraction in a day. Destroying the peace and beauty of Grant Park and the free and open space where families already play for free does not benefit the city. As a former member of CCM, I find it hard to swallow that the fight is for access for low income minority children because that has never been the population traditionally served by the museum. Nevertheless, placing it on the other side of the drive in museum campus would not defeat the goal of providing access to this part of the city to all children and would place the CCM next to other noteworthy museums and educational opportunities. Pat
It wouldn't make any sense to move the CCM to Northerly Island instead of Grant Park--if saving green space and open space is the goal, you'll lose just as much of it at Northerly Island as you would at Grant Park. (For those who haven't been to Northerly Island park yet, there is a beautiful restored prairie there now.) We shouldn't be destroying any public open space, when there are plenty of unused or under-used sites that the CCM can choose from that are already developed.
Is there a link to the Sun-Times article?? I never saw it. My *gut* reactions to these suggestions:
Museum Campus (where would you build it?)
Northerly Island (NO)
Logan Square (maybe)
Garfield Park Conservatory (NO)
Pritzker Park (possible, but not likely to fly well with civic leadership)
Washington Park (NO)
Bronzeville (interesting, where do you suggest we build?)
Calumet Park (NO)
Englewood (same comment as Bronzeville)
State and Van Buren (??? By the Law School?? In the DePaul Bldg.? In the Roosevelt Bldg.?)
McCormick Place East (NO)
Museum of Broadcast History (NO)
Chicago Riverwalk (South Bank at Lake Michigan)
Where would people park?
Michigan and Roosevelt (South Loop)
Too trendy and too collegiate
Notebaert Nature Museum (Lincoln Park)
I like this idea, potential partnership opportunities are great.
Lincoln Park Zoo (adjacent to zoo)
Sticky, but same as above.
Old U.S. Post Office
Which one?
Chicago Athletic Association (South Michigan Ave.)
Oooh. NO. Too expensive.
Carson Pirie Scott Building (State Street)
Again, expensive, but this is great real estate, if there have not been any bids, it’s a good thought – on the 146 Museum Campus Bus route too!
Former Brach's Candy Factory
Ugh. A messy project – but with the right contractor, perhaps. I don’t think the location is all that great.
U.S. Cellular Field (adjacent to ballpark)
Are there other plans for development here?? I just don’t think it would be a good spot for the museum.
Expansion on Navy Pier
Isn’t this what they’re saying they CAN’T do??
Montrose Park
Interesting. Why?? Where??
1 S. Dearborn (50 percent vacant)
Um, what??? In Chase Plaza??
Maybe the children's museum could offer their list and the public could see if there was any overlap with Reilly's list.
I guess the problem is that the children's museum doesn't have a working list. They just like Grant Park. Cheryl, do you think you could contact the children's museum and review your comments with them? Maybe they just need to find someone to collaborate with and you could serve that purpose. Let us know if you get any place.
The old main post office, which straddles the Congress Parkway downtown. It has been vacant for a long time. There is some kind of plan to convert it to an office, hotel and condominiums. I am sure they can find a spot for the CCM there. Especially if Gigi Pritzker is involved. The Chicago Plan Commission already approved the plan April 1997. The CCM should do some research on this location and leave Grant Park alone.
As residents in the extremely over crowded River North neighborhood for many years we are estatic that Alderman Reilly is opposed to this location for the Childrens Museum. Garfield park would be a much better location as our many others the Tribune has suggested. As always in this city it is a fight and hopefully the good guys winn.
there is no need to create more traffic in the Grant Park quadrant along Randolph Street. No need to create so much child traffic that adults can't enjoy it.
Reclaim some blighted land!
I hope Alterman Reilley stays strong.
the brodners
You are all awful. You'll say anything to keep this out of your backyards. YOU ARE ALL SO SELFISH. God forbid black people get bussed into your neighborhood. It's or you and only you, isn't it. Please remember that rich white folks use CCM too! Don't you want them in your neighborhood either? Look at Brendan Reilly-he's a liar. He's appeasing you people so you'll vote for him.
At what point in time did Grant park become deeded property to you people? Why can't you share the jewels of this city with others? Have you ever known a black person? Have you ever thought some of "those people" have never had the chance to leave their neighborhoods and coming to CCM might be the only time they get to see downtown?
Navy Pier is awful. There is not space for the museum to grow. You all think "daMare" or "King Richard" is bad? At the end of the day, "daGuv" runs the pier and we all know about him.
Stop this madness, and open your eyes. Reilly hates kids, and you all hate poor people. Stop acting like spoiled rich brats and share. Another option would be LEAVE! The city doesn't need people like you all.
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