http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/9...idge11.article
New Millennium Park bridge shaping up as work of art
May 11, 2008Recommend
BY MONIFA THOMAS Staff Reporter
mjthomas@suntimes.com
It's hard to steal attention from the Bean and those giant faces on the video screens at Millennium Park. But the sleek bridge being built next door came pretty close.
Tongues were wagging Saturday about Nichols Bridgeway, a 620-foot-long pedestrian bridge linking the Art Institute's under-construction Modern Wing to Millennium Park. Contractors began installing the frame of the bridge over Monroe Street on Friday night.
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Workers install the bridge’s frame over Monroe Street on Saturday. The bridge will link the Art Institute’s under-construction Modern Wing to Millennium Park.
(Al Podgorski/Sun-Times)
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This view of the bridge looks west along Monroe from the lakefront. The bridge was designed by architect Renzo Piano.
And while the structure isn't complete, onlookers seemed pretty impressed by what they saw Saturday.
"I think it's fabulous," said Bill Padnos, of Ukrainian Village, who noticed the bridge while driving by on Michigan Avenue and stopped to take a closer look. "It goes right along with [Frank Gehry's BP Bridge] as something that's unique to Chicago and also is aesthetically beautiful."
The steel bridge was designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, who also designed the Modern Wing building. The structure takes its name from Art Institute donors John and Alexandra Nichols, who gave $19 million toward the cost of the Modern Wing project.
Unlike Gehry's snakelike BP Bridge over Columbus Drive, Nichols Bridgeway is long and thin with only a slight curve to it -- a design inspired by the hull of a boat.
The bridge is to open to the public next spring, in conjunction with the museum's new wing.
When it does, it should offer stunning views of Michigan Avenue, Millennium Park and the lakefront.
Bridge installation will continue for the rest of the weekend, shutting down Monroe between Michigan and Columbus until about 5 a.m. Monday.