Friends of the Parks

City Council Votes in Favor of Children’s Museum Move to Grant Park

Through most of the spring, Chicago witnessed a park conflict over whether the proposed Children’s Museum violated the legal covenants that protect Grant Park from the construction of above-ground buildings. The Children’s Museum sought approval to construct a new museum above the Monroe Street garage south of Randolph and east of Columbus. On June 11th, the Chicago City Council gave its approval.

Friends of the Parks reviewed three museum design iterations and while the Children’s Museum worked to reduce the size of the above-ground building, FOTP determined that the final design did not meet the applicable restrictions on above-ground buildings in Grant Park.

FOTP testified that the plan to construct the Chicago Children’s Museum in Grant Park violates the 172 year-old “forever open, clear and free” protection established in 1836 by the I and M Canal commissioners and upheld by the courts in the 20th century.

The Chicago Children’s Museum is designed with a 2-story, 3,800 sq. ft. building at the upper level of Randolph Street. As an above-ground building, the museum violated two legal covenants:

1. Lake Michigan and Chicago Lakefront Protection Ordinance (LPO)
Policy 5 states: “Maintain and improve the formal character and open water vista of Grant Park with no new above-ground structure permitted”.
2. A. Montgomery Ward Court Decisions
The four historic A. Montgomery Ward court decisions mandate that Grant Park must remain “Forever Open, Clear and Free of any Buildings”.

On June 5, 2008, a lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division. Thirty owners of condominiums in the 340-360 East Randolph buildings were the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. To read the lawsuit, go to http://www.neweastside.org/