“The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, one of the city’s most treasured and celebrated architectural achievements, is open again after years of renovation.
“Tucked between the rush of cars on Lake Shore Drive and the steady hum of Clark Street, the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is a hidden oasis in the heart of the city.
“Through the garden’s Prairie-style gate, the noise of the North Side thins from a hum to a hush, like a radio dial turned to low, making sonic space for birds and the sound of water lapping over Niagara limestone.
“A winding path circles the lily pool, past native wildflowers with oaks, hackberries and hawthorns hanging shade over the green space.
“Designed by Alfred Caldwell, the famed architect behind Promontory Point and Riis Park, the Lily Pool was part of a Victorian garden built in 1889 that was home to tropical lilies and other aquatic plants.
“When that garden fell into disrepair, Caldwell, who was appointed as the Park District’s principal designer in the 1930s, designed what was formerly known as the Lincoln Park Rookery.
“In the 1950s, under Marlin Perkins, Lincoln Park Zoo director, the Lily Pool was converted into a water exhibit for exotic birds and waterfowl. Over time, the birds overgrazed the area while invasive species and ‘weed’ trees choked out Caldwell’s native plantings. Heavy foot traffic and patchwork repairs sped up the erosion, and by the mid-century mark the Park District closed the site to the public.
“For decades, the Lily Pool sat neglected, its stonework broken, its pond filled with silt and debris. Trees grew unchecked, blocking sunlight and suffocating the wildflowers.
“When Caldwell visited the site in the early ’90s, the Tribune reported that he described what had become of his creation as a ‘dead world.’
“The garden closed in fall 2023 so crews could begin a major renovation of its historic wooden pavilions, which had weathered two decades of Chicago winters and thousands of visitors since the Lily Pool’s last full restoration in the early 2000s.
“The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is open dawn to dusk daily at 125 W. Fullerton Parkway, just steps from the zoo and conservatory. After years of waiting, Chicagoans once again have a quiet corner of prairie-inspired beauty to escape to in the middle of the city.” (Filbin, Block Club Chicago, 9/10/25)
“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 Block Club Chicago
- 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