Chicago Children's Museum

Last updated

Chicago Children's Museum
Chicago Children's Museum exterior in May 2016.jpg
Chicago Children's Museum
Established1982
Location Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Website Chicago Children's Museum
Skeleton of a Suchomimus dinosaur as featured in the museum CCM Suchomimus 2018.jpg
Skeleton of a Suchomimus dinosaur as featured in the museum

The Chicago Children's Museum is located at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1982 by The Junior League of Chicago who were responding to programming cutbacks in the Chicago Public Schools. Originally housed in two hallways of the Chicago Public Library, it soon began to offer trunk shows and traveling exhibits in response to capacity crowds on-site. [1]

Contents

The museum moved a number of times over its initial years of existence while it continued to search for a permanent home. In 1995, the Museum thought it found that home when it reopened as an anchor tenant at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan. The new facility offered 57,000 square feet (5,300 m2) of exhibition space and included three floors of educational exhibits, public programs and special events. [1] Upon the move to the Pier, the expansion made it the fourth largest children's museum in the United States. [2] The museum serves more than 650,000 people, both at its Navy Pier location and in communities in and around Chicago, each year.

Relocation

The Navy Pier space served the museum well for more than a decade, but in 2006, the Museum announced plans to expand further and move to another location at Daley Bicentennial Plaza in Grant Park that would more than double its exhibition space [3] and allow for greater community access. [4] Despite some strong support from the community [5] especially from Mayor Richard Daley, [6] the proposal has met with some resistance from others who feared that the museum's move will invade Grant Park's open space [6] and set a precedent for other organizations moving to the park. The new facility at Grant Park was designed by the architecture firm of Krueck and Sexton Architects, who designed the Spertus Museum on Michigan Avenue.

By early 2011, museum officials affirmed their commitment to the plan but announced no new developments. Fundraising efforts had lagged while costs for the project had risen to an estimated $150 million. Crain's Chicago Business cited unnamed park officials who said that the museum will likely stay in its current location. At the same time, the Chicago Park District also awarded contracts to begin repairs on the garage under Daley Bicentennial Plaza. [7] On October 25, 2011, the Chicago Park District unveiled a renovation plan for the northeast area of Grant Park that did not include the museum. When asked about the museum, the park district's director of planning and development replied, "Well, they're not coming to Grant Park." [8]

In late 2012, the museum announced it had agreed on a new, 90-year lease with Navy Pier. [9] The agreement includes an expansion of the museum's presence at the Pier by nearly 50 percent (57,000 square feet to 84,000 square feet). Details of the expansion were expected to be announced in 2013.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Park (Chicago)</span> United States historic place

Grant Park is a large urban park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Located within the city's central business district, the 319-acre (1.29 km2) park's features include Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum Campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Pier</span> United States historic place

Navy Pier is a 3,300-foot-long (1,010 m) pier on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Navy Pier encompasses over 50 acres (20 ha) of shops, restaurants, live theaters, family attractions, parks, gardens, and exhibition facilities and is one of the top destinations in the Midwestern United States, drawing over nine million visitors annually. It is one of the most visited attractions in the entire Midwest and is Chicago's second-most visited tourist attraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrigley Square</span> Public square in the Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Wrigley Square is a public square located in the northwest section of Millennium Park in the Historic Michigan Boulevard District of the Loop area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The square is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of East Randolph Street and North Michigan Avenue. It contains the Millennium Monument, a nearly full-sized replica of the semicircle of paired Roman Doric-style columns that originally sat in this area of Grant Park, near Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, between 1917 and 1953. The square also contains a large lawn and a public fountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millennium Park</span> Public park in Chicago, Illinois, US

Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in July 2004, is a prominent civic center near the city's Lake Michigan shoreline that covers a 24.5-acre (9.9 ha) section of northwestern Grant Park. Featuring a variety of public art, outdoor spaces and venues, the park is bounded by Michigan Avenue, Randolph Street, Columbus Drive and East Monroe Drive. In 2017, Millennium Park was the top tourist destination in Chicago and in the Midwest, and placed among the top ten in the United States with 25 million annual visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northerly Island</span> Human-made peninsula and park along Chicagos Lake Michigan lakefront

Northerly Island is a 119-acre (48 ha) human-made peninsula and park located on Chicago's Lake Michigan lakefront. Originally constructed in 1925, Northerly Island was the former site of the Century of Progress world's fair and later Meigs Field airport and, since Meigs Field's closure, has been a recreational area part of Chicago's Museum Campus. It is the site of the Adler Planetarium, the Huntington Bank Pavilion, the Northerly Island Natural Area, the 12th Street Beach and numerous art installations. Per its name, Northerly Island was constructed as an island, but is connected to the lakefront by a causeway at the northern end carrying Solidarity Drive to the planetarium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Pedway</span> System of pedestrian tunnels and walkways in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Chicago Pedway is a network of tunnels, ground-level concourses and bridges in Chicago, Illinois connecting skyscrapers, retail stores, hotels, and train stations throughout the central business district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeshore East</span> Human settlement in Chicago, Illinois

Lakeshore East is a master-planned mixed use urban development being built by the Magellan Development Group in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the northeastern part of the Loop, which, along with Illinois Center, is called the New Eastside. The development is bordered by Wacker Drive to the north, Columbus Drive to the west, Lake Shore Drive to the east, and East Randolph Street to the south. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill created the master plan for the area. The development, which had been scheduled for completion in 2011, was set for completion in 2013 by 2008. Development continued with revised plans for more buildings in 2018 and continuing construction of the Vista Tower in 2019.

<i>Cloud Gate</i> Sculpture by Anish Kapoor in Chicago, US

Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, that is the centerpiece of Grainger Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its shape, a name Kapoor later grew fond of. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its reflective and highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It measures 33 by 66 by 42 feet, and weighs 110 short tons. The sculpture and its plaza are located above Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)</span> Skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

The Metropolitan Tower is a skyscraper located at 310 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Historic Michigan Boulevard District in the Loop community area in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Developed by Metropolitan Properties of Chicago, it has been renovated as a condominium complex with 242 units. Residences range in size from 1,200 square feet (110 m2) to 4,000 square feet (370 m2). Penthouses feature 360 degree city views and private elevators. Prices run from $300,000 for a 762 square feet (70.8 m2) one-bedroom unit to $1.365 million for a 1,932 square feet (179.5 m2) three-bedroom. The Metropolitan Tower was also for a time home to a branch of Chase Bank. The space now houses a branch of CVS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BP Pedestrian Bridge</span> Footbridge located in Chicago

The BP Pedestrian Bridge, or simply BP Bridge, is a girder footbridge in the Loop community area of Chicago, United States. It spans Columbus Drive to connect Maggie Daley Park with Millennium Park, both parts of the larger Grant Park. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry and structurally engineered by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, it opened along with the rest of Millennium Park on July 16, 2004. Gehry had been courted by the city to design the bridge and the neighboring Jay Pritzker Pavilion, and eventually agreed to do so after the Pritzker family funded the Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink</span> Multi-purpose venue within Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois

McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink or McCormick Tribune Plaza is a multi-purpose venue within Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. On December 20, 2001, it became the first attraction in Millennium Park to open. The $3.2 million plaza was funded by a donation from the McCormick Tribune Foundation. It has served as an ice skating rink, a dining facility and briefly as an open-air exhibition space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grainger Plaza</span> Public space at Millennium Park, Chicago

Grainger Plaza is a public space that hosts the Cloud Gate sculpture. It is located in Millennium Park, which is a park built to celebrate the third millennium and which is located within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. The sculpture and the plaza are sometimes jointly referred to as Cloud Gate on the AT&T Plaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonald's Cycle Center</span> Bicycle police facility in Chicago, Illinois, USA

McDonald's Cycle Center is a facility for a Chicago Police Department Bike Patrol Group in the northeast corner of Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois. It was formerly a bicycle station for public use. The city of Chicago built the center at the intersection of East Randolph Street and Columbus Drive, and opened it in July 2004. Since June 2006, it had been sponsored by McDonald's and several other partners, including city departments and bicycle advocacy organizations. The bike station, which formerly served bicycle commuters and utility cyclists, provided lockers, showers, a snack bar with outdoor summer seating, bike repair, bike rental and 300 bicycle parking spaces as of 2004. The Cycle Center was accessible by membership and day pass. It also accommodated runners and inline skaters, but now is exclusively used by a Chicago Police Department Bike Patrol Group and no longer is used by commuters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing Galleries</span> Open-air gallery in Illinois, United States

Boeing Galleries are a pair of outdoor exhibition spaces within Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The spaces are located along the south and north mid-level terraces, above and east of Wrigley Square and the Crown Fountain. In a conference at the Chicago Cultural Center, Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer James Bell to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced Boeing would make a $5 million grant to fund both the construction of and an endowment for the space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase Promenade</span> Open-air gallery in Illinois, United States

Chase Promenade is an open-air, tree-lined, pedestrian walkway that opened July 16, 2004. It is part of Millennium Park, which is located in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. The promenade was made possible by a gift from the Bank One Foundation. It is 8 acres (3.2 ha) and used for exhibitions, festivals and other family events as well as private rentals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Lakefront Trail</span> Shared-use path in Chicago, Illinois, US

The Chicago Lakefront Trail (LFT) is a 18.5-mile-long (29.8 km) partial shared-use path for walking, jogging, skateboarding, and cycling, located along the western shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The trail passes through and connects Chicago's four major lakefront parks along with various beaches and recreational amenities. It also serves as a route for bicycle, skateboard and personal transporter commuters. On busy summer days 70,000 people use the trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Riverwalk</span> Public space in Chicago, Illinois, USA

The Chicago Riverwalk is a multi-use public open space located on the south bank of the main branch of the Chicago River in Chicago, extending from Lake Michigan and the Outer Drive Bridge westward to the Wolf Point area and Lake Street. The Chicago Riverwalk contains restaurants, bars, cafes, small parks, boat and kayak rentals, a Vietnam War memorial, and other amenities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Daley Park</span> Park in Chicago

Maggie Daley Park is a 20-acre (81,000 m2) public park in the Loop community area of Chicago operated by the Chicago Park District. It is near the Lake Michigan shoreline in northeastern Grant Park where Daley Bicentennial Plaza previously stood. Maggie Daley Park, like its predecessor, is connected to Millennium Park by the BP Pedestrian Bridge. Designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, the park had its ceremonial ribbon cutting on December 13, 2014, and is named for Maggie Daley, the former first lady of the city who died of cancer in 2011. The park was almost entirely remade with multiple new features including a new field house designed by Valerio Dewalt Train, an ice skating ribbon, climbing walls, landscaping and children's playground. An older section of the park maintains a garden dedicated earlier to honor cancer survivors. The park is bounded by Randolph Street, Monroe, Columbus and Lake Shore Drives. Construction took 2 years and cost $60 million, including rebuilding an underground parking lot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Center (Chicago)</span> Chicago Tribune newspaper printing facility.

Freedom Center, also known as the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center, is the printing plant and headquarters for the Chicago Tribune, as well as the printing facility for other publications such as the Chicago Sun-Times. It closed May 2024 and is currently in the middle of demolition to replace the Freedom Center with Bally's Chicago Casino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polk Bros Park</span> Park in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Polk Bros Park is a 13-acre (5.3 ha) park at Chicago's Navy Pier. The park features the Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion, Polk Bros Fountain, and the Polk Bros Performance Lawns, a pair of lawns with stages called City Stage and Lake Stage.

References

  1. 1 2 "History". Chicago Children's Museum. Archived from the original on 2011-03-13. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  2. Susy Schultz (1996-10-07). "A Year at the Pier". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  3. Lorene Yue (2006-09-27). "Chicago Children's Museum Moving to Grant Park". Chicago Business. Crain's. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  4. Robert Mitchum (2008-04-07). "Children's Museum Gears up Grant Park Campaign". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  5. Maria Whelan (2006-04-05). "Put Museum in Plaza". The Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  6. 1 2 Sarah Schulte (2007-09-18). "Maylor Lashes Out Against Opponents". ABC 7 Chicago. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  7. Lisa Donovan and Fran Spielman (3 April 2011). "Children's Museum's move to Grant Park looking less likely". Chicago Sun-Times. suntimes.com. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  8. Blair Kamin and Ryan Haggerty (26 October 2011). "Children's Museum out of new plan for renovating Grant Park's northeast corner; leader of park advisory group says controversial project is dead". Chicago Tribune. ChicagoTribune.com. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  9. Lease plan Archived February 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

41°53′29″N87°36′33″W / 41.89139°N 87.60917°W / 41.89139; -87.60917