Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisvfr800i
You're right, I guess I don't understand.
I also don't understand how the wealthy Obama Foundation, who's namesake has made more than a meal out of his "Chicago Roots" would have the gall to extort free land and infrastructure from it under threat of building his edifice somewhere else.
|
I can understand your last comment, and that's another story. However, your first point makes no sense to how the lakefront park district land is handled. Think about it for a minute. What structures are on actual developable park land other than parks? Field Museum, Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Park Zoo, Pritzker Pavilion, Navy Pier, Huntington Bank Pavilion, Chicago History Museum, Lincoln Park Conservatory, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Montrose Bird Sanctuary, Arie Crown Theater, etc. Other than the small golf courses at Jackson Park or near Irving Park Rd, what do all of these things have in common?
If the city really wanted a bunch of money, they could easily sell land to developers for Billions of dollars, but they won't because they understand the city. Sorry, but that specific point of yours really isn't valid. I can't tell if you like Obama or not, but I think a presidential museum is well within the range and theme of organizations of the exceedingly rare times the city is willing to give up a little of this land. They are not about to sell it to a bunch of private developers looking to build condos. Not going to happen. A museum is within the theme of when they do.
The lakefront Chicago has is amazing, and as I live in NYC now, I greatly miss it. These types of institutions make it better. I can't think of another city in the country that has their cultural institutions set up in such a good setting like this.