Present

The current layout of the northern edge of Grant Park suggests that it has the potential to provide a wide diversity of use, including active recreational areas, places for reflection and repose, and open, unstructured green space. But with the surrounding areas—and their open space needs—evolving rapidly, the park should evolve in turn.

Take a closer look

The Park Pre-Construction
7 photos
The Maggie Daley Park site is currently comprised of three distinct areas: Daley Bicentennial Plaza, Cancer Survivors Garden, and Peanut Park.

The renovation will focus on Daley Bicentennial Plaza. It is a multi-use recreational facility that includes pathways and formal gardens, an outdoor skating rink, tennis courts, chess and checker tables, a miniature golf course, a playground, and a field house with locker rooms. It is situated on top of a 3,700-car underground parking facility, whose exposed vents and access points are integrated into the design of the plaza.

The three original park sections were designed and developed independently, making the park site feel disjointed and compartmentalized. Sections of the park—especially the sunken passive space of Peanut Park—are currently underutilized, and the park does not fully take advantage of its potential for views and connectivity. In addition, the infrastructure that borders the site on several sides—including underneath it—has resulted in circulation patterns and microclimates that are less than optimal. North Grant Park’s landscape design will strive to address and improve all of these conditions in its new landscape design.