“The glorious Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool — one of the city’s finest public gardens — has reopened after a much-needed two-year rehab. And the work comprises the pool’s first significant rehab in 25 years.

“It couldn’t come at a better time. As the fall colors slowly creep in, there are few better park spaces in the city to observe the change than this 3-acre beauty spot at 125 W. Fullerton Parkway.

“Designed by Alfred Caldwell and built 86 years ago, the park resembles a prairie landscape — the kinds that were lost to ‘progress’ in the 19th century — featuring trees, greenery, assorted flowers, rock formations, a waterfall and a pool.

“‘It’s really such a beautiful testament and ode to the Midwest landscape,’ said Maeve Musgrave Callaghan, manager of park stewardship for the Lincoln Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that oversaw the lily pool’s rehab.

“Located outside of the north edge of Lincoln Park Zoo, what became the Caldwell Lily pool was built in 1889 as a Victorian-styled green space where tropical water lilies were raised.

“But in the 1930s, Caldwell, then a Chicago Park District landscape designer, refashioned the area into a naturalist Prairie School-styled urban oasis.

“The park is one of the city’s great escapes. Stand on the corner of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive and you’re very much aware of the big city’s hustle and bustle.

“However, behind the garden’s big white oak gates, sits a lush and tranquil outdoor place — especially with the rehab work that’s been done.

“The most notable change is the restoration of the garden’s pavilion. A design master stroke by Caldwell, the pavilions are made of wood, prairie stone and topped with copper roofs.

“And they’ve been a favorite of wedding photographers for years.

“‘After 25 years of dealing with the Chicago weather’s wear and tear, the pavilion really needed to be refreshed and restored,’ Lincoln Park Conservancy Executive Director Rafael Rosa said.

“Rosa said his organization thought 50% of the structure’s wood would have to be replaced, but it turned out to be 90%. And of course the work had to be done right. The garden is a city landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the even more elite National Historic Landmark rolls.

“‘We had to use the same [original construction] techniques, the same type of wood — and so it meant you’re getting a carpenter who really knew their business and also it took a lot of time to do it properly,’ he said.

“But it’s worth it. Public park spaces like these, where Chicagoans can pause to catch a breath and experience a bit of nature’s beauty, are well worth preserving and protecting.” (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/7/25)

“Considered one of the most important historic landscapes in Chicago, this ‘hidden garden’ in Lincoln Park was designed by noted landscape architect Alfred Caldwell in the Prairie School style inspired by Jens Jensen and Frank Lloyd Wright. Like its architectural counterpart, the intent of the Prairie School tradition of landscape architecture was to help build an appreciation for the beauty of the natural landscape. Caldwell’s design draws from an extensive plant palette native to the Midwest landscape and uses stone outcroppings, a pavilion, waterfall and other features arranged around a lily pool to create a ‘prairie stream,’ a body of water meant to replicate a creek running through a Midwestern prairie. (Chicago DPD)

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times

• Need a cool spot to watch fall colors? Try the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool; Public park spaces like the lily pool, where Chicagoans can pause to catch a breath and experience some of nature’s beauty, are well worth preserving and protecting, Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/7/25
• Lincoln Park’s Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool Reopens After Years Of Renovation; Designed by the famed architect behind Promontory Point, the pool is one of the city’s most treasured and celebrated architectural achievements, Patrick Filbin, Block Club Chicago, 9/10/25
• Recollections of a visit to Lincoln Park’s Lily Pool with its architect, Alfred Caldwell, Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 8/4/25
• After a two-year closure, Chicagoans can visit this beloved landmark again; Designed by the renowned architect behind Promontory Point, Lincoln Park’s Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is a triumph of both design and nature, Shannon Shreibak, TimeOut Chicago, 9/17/25
• This Hidden Lily Pad Pool in Chicago Just Reopened After a Years-Long Closure; The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park is once again open to the public after closing for restorations in late 2023, Elena Smentkowski, Secret Chicago, 9/10/25
• Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, Landmark Designation Report, November 6, 2002
• Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, Lincoln Park Conservatory