Maggie C. Daley Park

In 2012, the Chicago Park District began transforming the northeastern part of Grant Park into Maggie Daley Park. For many decades, this site had been occupied by an expansive surface parking lot, with a portion of the Illinois Central's sunken rail yard extending along the northwestern edge. In the mid-1970s, the Chicago Park District replaced the old parking lot with Richard J. Daley Bicentennial Plaza, which provided a new 3700-car underground garage and major recreational facilities, including a field house for indoor programming, tennis courts, an ice skating rink, picnic areas, and Grant Park's first playground. In 2009, the City of Chicago and the Park District began plans to repair the waterproofing membrane of the underground parking garage and replace the entire park landscape. Over the following years, thousands of citizens took part in community workshops and meetings to help determine programming for the prominent lakefront site, and the Park District hired Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to design the new park space. As a counterpoint to the symmetry and formality of Grant Park, the design uses curvilinear forms, dramatic topography, and whimsical elements. The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners renamed the site in honor of Maggie C. Daley, Chicago's longtime first lady, who was deeply committed to improving the lives of children and enriching the city's culture for all its citizens. Maggie Daley co-founded Gallery 37, a summer cultural arts program for teens, which led to the creation of After School Matters, a non-profit organization offering Chicago teens activities in the arts, communication, science, sports, and technology, now the nation's largest out-of-school program of its kind for teenagers. Active in many of Chicago's non-profit organizations, Mrs. Daley was a tireless advocate for her city and is remembered for her grace, perseverance, zest for life, and commitment to a better Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois · United States