“Whether you’re biking, running or pushing a stroller, Chicago’s 18-mile Lakefront Trail has no shortage of sights to see. On one side there’s the always-changing beauty of Lake Michigan, and on the other there’s the cliff wall of apartment and condo buildings, office high-rises, museums, fountains and Soldier Field.

“Other structures with intriguing histories also populate the path. Here’s a look at their stories, arranged from south to north. To stay focused and keep you moving, WBEZ’s Reset only included sites on the path, not those you can see from the trail.

“South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive. Built in 1916 to replace the smaller clubhouse of a private organization with a nine-hole golf course, Marshall and Fox — the architects behind the Blackstone and Drake hotels — designed this Mediterranean fantasy. The Chicago Park District bought the South Shore Cultural Center in 1975. Two of the building’s most quintessentially Chicago moments are when it was used as The Palace Hotel in The Blues Brothers movie in 1980 and when it was the site of future President Barack Obama and future first lady Michelle Obama’s wedding reception in 1992.

“Jackson Park Comfort Station, near 6700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Little has changed with this crumbling relic of the early 20th century’s golf craze since Reset talked about the building in April 2021, as the structure has continued to decline. The park district has since put up signs saying, “Improvements coming soon.”

“McCormick Place Lakeside Center, 2301 S. Martin Luther King Drive. McCormick Place Lakeside Center, the behemoth black component of Chicago’s convention center, starts the zone of giants along the lakefront path approaching downtown. Completed in 1971 with a 19-acre roof, the Lakeside Center replaced a 1960 building that burned. This colossus has an architectural pedigree: Mies van der Rohe’s right-hand man, Gene Summers, and famous modern Chicago architect Helmut Jahn designed the building.” (Rodkin, WBEZ Chicago, 6/10/24)

Read the full story at WBEZ Chicago

• Wtorical markers from the South Side to downtown, Dennis Rodkin, WBEZ Chicago, 6/10/24hat’s That Building? An architectural tour of the Lakefront Trail; Got a bike? Hit up the path along Lake Michigan — and keep your eyes peeled for architectural gems and important his