[cityofneighborhoods]

I'm still surprised that anyone who really knows Jackson Park well would argue that placing the OBC in that part of the park would do anything other than greatly enhance the park. Cornell Drive essentially ruins what could be Chicago's best lakefront park. I think Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will do a great job of bringing back some of Olmsted's vision to that stretch along with creating engaging landscape design people will actually be excited about. The truly beautiful sections of the park like Wooded Island, Bobolink Meadow, etc. will either be untouched or eventually get more resources for improvements. It really is an opportunity in investing to make Jackson Park Chicago's greatest park - a great catalyst for improving the South Side. If park groups were actually out there advocating and raising money to make improvements to our parks, I would fully support them. It's baffling to me how much energy they instead spend protecting concrete.

Another argument that I’m having trouble understanding is that putting this cultural institution in a public park while simultaneously increasing the actualized and useable park space is worse than having essentially glorified lawns with all non native vegetation intersected by a 4-6 way road with cars driving by at 50 mph. City parks are human made for human engagement and are meant to be improved and evolve over time. No one is arguing a museum should be built on a forest preserve.

I think it would also be transformational to put the OBC on Garfield Blvd. across from everything happening on the Arts Block. That stretch could become a pretty unique cultural destination. The only reason I prefer the Jackson Park site is the opportunity to create a really special continuous gathering space in Jackson Park. We are truly lacking in those in Chicago. Just off the top of my head, some of favorite urban spots in the U.S. combine structures with landscape design like the rooftop of the Met overlooking Central Park, the concourse between the De Young and the Cal Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, etc. For comparison, both the MOMAs in NYC and SF are great museums both are not really place makers. You just go in and leave.