The Burnham Plan

Have you heard about The Burnham Plan? To find out more, you could follow the link or you can read the quick & painless summary I've written below:

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

• One hundred years ago, Daniel H. Burnham & Edward H. Bennett created the 1909 Plan of Chicago to develop a more beautiful city. The plan encompassed not only the city of Chicago, but the entire area within a 60 mile radius. The plan involved, among other things, transportation infrastructure, conservation of energy & water, and the expansion of public spaces. Now, in 2009, bold plans are being created for the next 100 years.

This is the final post about my trip to Millennium Park in Chicago. The park currently features an exhibit known as the Burnham Pavilions, which will run until October 31st. These temporary pavilions have been created to honour the "forward looking spirit of the Plan of Chicago".

Burnham Pavilion by UNStudio
Principal Architect: Ben van Berkel
Material: A steel skeleton supports plywood
ribs and skin covered in reflective paint.

Burnham Pavilion by Zaha Hadid Architects
Princicpal Architect: Zaha Hadid
Material: Aluminum covered by tensioned fabric.

Interior of the Zaha Hadid Burnham Pavilion

Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Millennium Park in Chicago was so full of great sculpture and architecture that I'm doing a 3 part series. Today's feature is the Jay Pritzker Pavilion designed by architect Frank Gehry.

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion forms the heart of Millennium Park. The venue is named after the Chicago businessman, whose family (owners of Hyatt hotels) made generous contributions in support of the project.

The overhead trellis supports the outdoor sound system, which is designed to replicate the acoustics of a concert hall. There are 4,000 fixed seats, plus another 7,000 can be accommodated on the Great Lawn.


The brushed stainless steel panels cover ribbons of aluminum, forming a headdress for the stage. The highest center point rises 150 feet into the air.


The pavilion hosts the summer Grant Park Music Festival, theatrical events and concerts. Even the Oprah show has taped at the pavilion!!

Cloud Gate

Besides preparing to host Thanksgiving, one of the reasons I haven't written many posts recently is that I took a 5 day vacay to spend some time with my sister in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While there, we did an overnight stay in nearby Chicago, where we visited Millennium Park. The park opened in July 2004, and features many interesting pieces of sculpture and architecture. I loved the reflective Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor created from polished stainless steel plates.

The AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park

Cloud Gate Reflections

Inner Reflections of Cloud Gate

If the name Anish Kapoor seems familiar, you may recall that I previously posted a photo of his aluminum sculpture located here in Toronto on Front Street West:

Untitled (Mountain)

Anish Kapoor is a master of metal. Visit his website for more details about his works.