Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Downtown
As I understand Ch.G, Ch.G's argument, the many years when those parts of Grant Park were used for parking made them no longer parkland, so they could have been made available for a new post office, convention center, library, magnet school, or the McCormick Museum of Editorial Cartoons.
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No, because Grant Park is subject to a higher standard than the rest of the lakefront, at least north of 11th Place and south of Randolph (as you have often pointed out).
The massive parking lot at Montrose Harbor? Yeah, sure, put a high school there. CPS is actually building some
stunners these days.
The Lucas Museum and Obama Library are two very different sets of circumstances. Lucas has made a big deal about how he wants spectacular natural beauty. There's no inland site in Chicago that can offer this, it has to be on the lakefront. He's putting up the dough, he calls the shots.
Obama Library, on the other hand, makes a big deal about how they want to be engaged with disadvantaged communities. How is that goal served by removing scarce parkland from the South Side? Just build the damn thing across the street. The idea of stealing parkland came entirely from U of C, who would love to expand into the park but can't find a reason to justify it.