Lurie Garden

Lurie Garden
Historic Michigan Boulevard District and Randolph Street streetwalls from Lurie Garden
Map
TypePublic Garden
LocationMillennium Park
Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°52′53″N 87°37′19″W / 41.88139°N 87.62194°W / 41.88139; -87.62194
Area5-acre (20,234 m2) (2.5 planted)[1]
CreatedJuly 16, 2004
Operated byCity of Chicago
VisitorsFree Public
StatusOpen year round
Parking2218 (Millennium Park parking garage)[2]
Public transit accessBus interchange CTA
Metro interchange  Brown   Green   Orange   Pink   Purple 
Mainline rail interchange  MED   SSL 

Lurie Garden is a 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) garden located at the southern end of Millennium Park in the Loop area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Designed by GGN (Gustafson Guthrie Nichol), Piet Oudolf, and Robert Israel,[3] it opened on July 16, 2004. The garden is a combination of perennials, bulbs, native prairie grasses, shrubs and trees.[4] It is the featured nature component of the world's largest green roof. The garden cost $13.2 million and has a $10 million endowment for maintenance and upkeep.[5][6] It was named after Ann Lurie, who donated the $10 million endowment.[7][8] For visitors, the garden features guided walks, lectures, interactive demonstrations, family festivals and picnics.[9]

The Garden is composed of two "plates" protected on two sides by large hedges. The dark plate depicts Chicago's history by presenting shade-loving plant material. The dark plate has a combination of trees that will provide a shade canopy for these plants when they fill in. The light plate, which includes no trees, represents the city's future with sun-loving perennials that thrive in the heat and the sun.[10]

  1. ^ Markgraf, Sue (March 7, 2010). "Lurie Garden Fact Sheet". GreenMark Public Relations, Inc. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  2. ^ Kamin, Blair (July 18, 2004). "A no place transformed into a grand space – What was once a gritty, blighted site is now home to a glistening, cultural spectacle that delivers joy to its visitors". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference A&ALG was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Art & Architecture: The Plant Life of the Lurie Garden". City of Chicago. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  5. ^ Herrmann, Andrew (July 15, 2004). "Sun-Times Insight". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference FGoLM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Raver, Anne (July 15, 2004). "Nature; Softening a City With Grit and Grass". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference LGRW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference FAQ was invoked but never defined (see the help page).