April 13, 2005
For More Information:
Larry Schaffel
Tricia Van Horn
312/642-8869
CHICAGO'S NEWEST BOTANICAL ATTRACTION
Chicago's newest botanical attraction, the lush and multi-faceted park at Lakeshore East, is being added to the 2005 roster of Great Chicago Places and Spaces sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Special Events.
Free public tours of the city's extraordinary architectural and landscaping attractions such as Millennium Park, Soldier Field and the IIT State Street Village will be held on May 21-22. James Law, executive director of the Office of Special Events, anticipates that 8,000 people will participate in 7th annual Great Chicago Places and Spaces event.
The six-acre park at the core of the downtown Chicago's sprawling new neighborhood where the Chicago River and Lake Michigan meet was designed by the internationally renowned The Office of James Burnett landscape design firm in collaboration with Site Design Group of Chicago. Lakeshore East tours will be conducted by Ernie Wong and other staff members of Site Design Group.
Highlights of the park, which Joel Carlins, president of co-developer Magellan Development Group describes as "a botanical garden," include numerous water features, ornamental gardens, walking paths, a children's play area, a dog park and an abundance of seasonal and perennial flowers and foliage.
Carlins suggests that among the reasons that the Lakeshore East park was selected for this special event is its distinction as the only park in Chicago developed privately for public use.
"When it is completed this park will have some 500 species of plant life, including several trees expected to grow more than 100 feet tall and four species being introduced to Illinois," Carlins pointed out. "Because of its proximity to Lake Michigan and the Chicago River Lakeshore East has a nautical theme and Burnett's design harmonizes imaginatively with this theme. Moreover, the park has distinct daytime and evening personalities because of its lighting design."
Created by a joint venture of Magellan and NNP Residential & Development, Lakeshore East is slated to bring as many as 4,950 new residences to Chicago's downtown lakefront over the next eight to 10 years. The 28-acre community is among the largest urban developments underway in any major U.S. city.
Lakeshore East received the 2002 National Honor Award for excellence in urban design from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Incorporating the elements of a traditional Chicago neighborhood, Lakeshore East will include nearly 5,000 homes as well as substantial retail and recreational opportunities and community offerings from the park to the first public elementary school in downtown Chicago.
Projects currently under development include The Lancaster, 29-story condominium building that began occupancy in December; The Regatta, a 44-story condominium property at Wacker and Harbor drives; The Shoreham, a 46-story residential tower now leasing 549 luxury apartments, and 340 on the Park, a 62-story condominium tower now under construction.
For information on registering for one or more of the guided tours to be conducted in collaboration with the Chicago Architectural Foundation, call the Mayor's Office of Special Events at (312) 744-3315, TTY (312) 744-2964 or visit the Web site, www.cityofchicago.org/specialevents.