Grant Park
Michigan Ave. to Lake Michigan, Randolph St. to 12th St.
Leon Despres, former alderman and original sponsor of the
Chicago Landmarks Ordinance, recently observed that parkland
is always a temptation because it is free. And now, once
again, Grant Park is tempting the city as the favored site for
yet another museum in the park. A new home for the Chicago
Childrens Museum is planned as the latest encroachment
upon what was intended to be public land, forever open,
clear and free of any building whatsoever.
Grant Park is a rare and magnificent urban open space in the very heart of downtown. The vision of
Chicagos early leaders has given us a heritage worthy of protection and preservation, and a series of
Supreme Court decisions has affirmed that Grant Park must remain open and free of buildings, even
museum buildings.
History
Established in 1835, extended to the north in 1845 and then further east in 1899, Grant Park has
always tempted development despite its designation as forever open, clear and free. In 1890,
A. Montgomery Ward sued to have all structures removed and prevent new structures from being built.
An 1897 Supreme Court decision upheld a circuit court decision prohibiting the City from constructing
any buildings in the park. Ward omitted the Art Institute of Chicago from his original complaint and the
museum was allowed to remain. This exception has been used to support the argument that museums
are permitted in the park even if other buildings are not. When in 1906 the Field Museum
of Natural History proposed to build in the park, Ward again sued and the Supreme Court
reaffirmed its earlier decision. The current proposal by the Childrens Museum renews this
long standing dispute over the use of public parkland.
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