Bears will try again to despoil the lakefront
"The Lakefront by right belongs to the people. Not a foot of its shores should be appropriated to the exclusion of the people. — Daniel Burnham
How dare the Chicago Bears once again appropriate Chicago’s lakefront. The McCaskey dynasty tried once before but utterly failed with the goofy rebuild of Soldier Field the looked like a spaceship had landed somewhere among Rome’s ancient buildings. They bungled it so badly that they now want to tear it down and build another one.
How dare the McCaskey family appropriate the name of Daniel Burnham for their new grab of the lakefront. The famous 1909 Burnham plan envisioned a lakefront of beaches, meadows, islands, lagoons and harbors. No mention of a private enterprise designing, building and operating a facility that’s in government’s name only.
Burnham’s idea of a park that’s “Forever open, free and clear” is supposed to be the law. It is the law. Who cares?
But powerful people like Barack Obama and the McCaskey family are above the law. By now, people should be getting a better idea how ugly the Obama Center will be as it towers like a 22-story building in the historic Jackson Park. Hundreds of trees in the park need to be cut down for the center? No problem. Rev up the chain saws.
A footnote: Friends of the Park, the self-appointed lakefront guardian, has stepped forward to oppose the plan. But the Friends in no way stepped forward to oppose the Obama Center, which is a bigger desecration of the lakefront. Ever wonder why?
Right on, barber!