The renovation of North Grant Park started today (Friday, October 12, 2012) with this fence beginning in Peanut Park where the dirt of the Daley Plaza will be stored while the garage roof waterproof membrane is being replaced. Then the new Maggie Daley Park will be created to be opened in 2015. Our New Eastside community will record the progress on this website.
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The first fence poles ---->
The GEMS school is also starting in 2012 on this site.
As the sun sets on our beloved Daley Bicentennial Plaza.
The Alderman Reilly Weekly online News Letter published this update on Monday, October 8, 2012. It is a good summary of what we can expect before the final plantings in the Spring of 2015. The latest graphics (and all the previous graphics) are in the index to the right - just click on this underlined blue link PLAN 6-12-2012 or the index button (They go to the same webpage).
North Grant Park, recently rededicated as Maggie Daley Park is poised for a dramatic transformation. As the 3,700 car Millennium Lakeside Parking Structure undergoes extensive repairs to the roof membrane, the complete removal of the park above has provided the Chicago Park District the opportunity to reconsider the design and function of the area above the garage.
The Chicago Park District's goal for this site is to create a world class, multifunctional park and develop landscape experiences that reflect the evolving open space needs of Chicago. The new park will have a distinctive presence that will delight Chicagoans and visitors with signature elements like rock-climbing sculptures, an ice-skating ribbon, and play garden. The landscape spaces encountered through the park will vary in character, scale and seasonal attributes creating a progression that unfolds in space and time. As visitors follow major pathways through the park, they will be introduced to a range of multisensory landscape experiences which are interspersed with views of the lake, the city and the rest of Grant Park.
By replacing the aging urban plaza with a more naturalized multi-use landscape, Maggie Daley Park will contribute distinctive new types of open space and activities to the programmatic range of Grant Park as a whole. With this transformation, Maggie Daley Park is positioned to become a new downtown destination that benefits all of Chicago, drawing visitors from near and far to enjoy an informal place for recreation and relaxation, strong seasonal characteristics, and a connective landscape that will broaden the appeal of Grant Park as a whole.
Pre-Construction
Daley Bicentennial Field House is closed and will remain closed throughout construction. Children's programs are accommodated at Northerly Island (1400 S. Linn White Dr., 312-747-0298) and adult fitness programs are accommodated at Lake Shore Park (808 N. Lake Shore Drive, 312-742-7891). After construction, expanded programming will resume at Daley Bicentennial Field House.
Construction
The Park District has awarded the first phase of the Maggie Daley Park construction to James McHugh Construction Company. Preliminary structural analysis has occurred on the site and construction will begin in mid-October 2012.
Construction fence will be installed around the perimeter of Daley Bicentennial and Peanut Park. Once the site is secured, removal will begin of the above-ground features such as benches, pavement, play equipment, trees and other site features. Soil removal will occur next in the construction sequence. The soil will be removed from above the roof of the garage parking structure and stored at Peanut Park for re-use. Once the soil removal is completed, concrete repairs to the garage and concrete foundations will begin for the new park elements like the play garden and rock climbing walls.
At the completion of Phase I, the garage operator will waterproof the entire garage structure followed by the Park District beginning its second phase of construction. Phase II includes the full re-development of the park. Substantial completion for the entire project is anticipated in Winter 2014, with additional spring plantings in Spring 2015.
Work planned in the next week
Utility locates and the start of the installation of the construction fencing began the week of October 8. Construction fence installation will start in Peanut Park and then progress into Daley Bicentennial Plaza. This activity will take approximately four weeks to complete.
For additional information, please visit www.northgrantpark.org or contact Nichole Sheehan, Project Manager for the Chicago Park district at 312-742-4290 or nichole.sheehan@chicagoparkdistrict.com.
