“The Burnham Building, a century-old, templelike pavilion in Jackson Park that for years has lain in near ruin, appears finally set to receive the restoration it rightly deserves.
“Designed by D.H. Burnham & Co., the firm led by the legendary architect and planner Daniel H. Burnham, the open-air structure at Marquette Drive north of 67th Street will get a top-to-bottom makeover starting this year, according to the Chicago Park District.
“The park district is keeping mum on the exact cost of the job until construction bid documents hit the streets this quarter or next. But Chicago Park District Director of Planning and Development Heather Gleason said the project is likely to be ‘a few million.’ The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has kicked in $500,000 toward the effort. Park district capital improvement bonds would cover the rest, Gleason said.
“‘We’re trying to bring it back to its former glory,’ Gleason said.
“That’s a good sign for the 551-acre park, which, like the Burnham Building, suffers from decades of chronic underinvestment. Jackson Park is still a jewel thanks to its lakeside location and Frederick Law Olmsted’s masterful design, but it’s a faded one. And that’ll become even more apparent come June when the $850 million Obama Presidential Center, with its new buildings and landscapes, opens on 20 acres at the park’s north edge.
Restoring the Burnham Building is just one item on Jackson Park’s list of needs, but it’s an important start. The Burnham Building has been in rough shape for at least a decade, with its facade crumbling away and the roof collapsing to the point where it had to be removed.
Preservation Chicago included the building on the organization’s annual Seven Most Endangered Buildings list from 2017 to 2021.
Both restoration and rehab work are planned for the Burnham Building. The landmark-quality improvements would include a restored aggregate concrete exterior, historically accurate windows, a new Spanish clay tile roof, restroom facilities and modern mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. The high-level restoration is required by the federal government because Jackson Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chicago Park District Supt. and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, a former alderperson who has been on the job slightly under a year, seems aware of the problems at Jackson and the agency’s other parks.
“‘We are having more of a special focus on historic preservation of our buildings and our monuments. That is definitely coming from our leadership,’ Gleason said. ‘To make sure that we are taking our historic projects into account and properly funding them and getting all the grants that are available to us.'” (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 1/9/26)
Preservation Chicago has long been concerned about the deteriorating condition of the Daniel Burnham designed pavilion in Jackson Park. We first drew attention to its extremely neglected condition in 2017 when it was a Chicago 7 Most Endangered. We continued to advocate for its restoration and stabilization every since. Every year that has passed, the condition has future deteriorated.
We are optimistic that the new leadership at the Chicago Park District has prioritized the restoration of this long-neglected important public park pavilion designed by one of Chicago’s greatest architects.
Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times
Read the full story at Hyde Park Herald
- Jackson Park’s historic Burnham Building to undergo multimillion-dollar restoration; Max Blaisdell, Hyde Park Herald, 11/10/25
- Jackson Park’s Burnham Building To Be Restored With Help From $500,000 Federal Grant; The dilapidated 113-year-old building, designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham’s firm, will be restored as a public restroom. The project will take about a year to complete, Maxwell Evans, Block Club Chicago, 11/17/25
- Chicago Park District Centennial Plan Input Form
- 120-year-old Jackson Park pavilion sits as a park district ruin; The historic structure, designed by D.H. Burnham & Company, must be restored, Lee Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/30/25