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Chicago's Michigan Avenue
Has Now Become Main Street
Madison Avenue Streetscape by Howard Decker
Chicago is a merchant's city, a commercial city, whose downtown spine has now become Michigan Avenue. There are longer streets in our metropolis, streets that string together our enormous diversity and the energy of our neighborhoods and workplaces. But Michigan Avenue is now Chicago's Main Street, its Front Street, its Fifth Avenue, its Champs Elysees.
Our city's oldest and newest stories are rooted in the tale of Michigan Avenue; ancient lake shore path for trade, site of Fort Dearborn and core of first settlement, country lane of farms, broad and tree-lined Boulevard home to the newest towers of retail and residence, new museums, new hotels. Chicago has been many cites in the last two centuries, and each of these can still be discovered along the length of this noble thoroughfare.
Working with the Chicago Department of Transportation, we have now had the opportunity to revive the central portion of this great Boulevard; from Wacker Drive to Congress Avenue. Along this length of the Avenue we find the homes of many of Chicago's historic institutions: The Art Institute, the Auditorium Theater, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
In order to provide a fitting home for these great institutions, and for all of the other important activities along Michigan Avenue, this portion of the Avenue has been redesigned by DLK to capitalize on the lush Grant Park setting along its eastern border and the great buildings which make its western wall. As the connector between two other award winning DLK restoration projects, Congress Plaza and Balbo Drive, DLK worked with the City of Chicago, the adjacent institutions, merchants associations, the Chicago Landmarks Commission and the Chicago Park District to recreate the graceful atmosphere that once existed along this magnificent avenue. Our work included the creation of new and recreation of missing ornamental street features including new ornamental kiosks, balustrades, paving and lighting.
Howard Decker of DLK Architecture,
The Fine Arts Building,
410 South Michigan Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60606, 312-322-0911.
Working with the Chicago Department of Transportation, we have now had the opportunity to revive the central portion of this great Boulevard; from Wacker Drive to Congress Avenue. Along this length of the Avenue we find the homes of many of Chicago's historic institutions: The Art Institute, the Auditorium Theater, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.