News
What Now for Northerly Island?
August 10, 2010
| It's been a park and an airport; and now it's a planetarium, concert venue, and park (again). But the Chicago Park District and landscape architecture and planning firm JJR have big plans for Northerly Island, and they want the public's help. | |
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| JJR's Gregg Calpino and Chicago Park District's Gia Biaggi addressed the Friends of Downtown on Thursday, outlining some of the proposed plans for the 91-acre, man-made island that was intended as open space in the 1909 Burnham Plan. It served as Meigs Field from 1946-2003, and Adler Planetarium occupies the island's north end. A concert venue currently provides about $1M NOI per year for the island, but the park district wants to create attractions, such as a bird sanctuary and nature center to help make the park on the south half of the island a year-round attraction. | |
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| Creating the right mix of active and passive space will be key, says Gregg. Ideas range from softening the edges of the island to make it more natural, to turning the airport buildings, which still have baggage claims (and presumably your lost baggage) into a museum or learning center. Gia said the Park District is planning more public meetings over the next 6-8 weeks and hopes to come up with a final plan by December. She said the final selection would have to be something iconic because of the island's proximity to downtown, but also subtle, since the island's greenness is a contrast against the urban skyline. You can follow the plans here. | |
