Designing a Memorial Befitting Burnham

"It was Burnham who famously said: 'The lakefront by right belongs to the people.' But in settling on the Museum Campus site, a memorial competition committee of architects and civic leaders did a wonderful job of ignoring said people—and more worthy alternatives for Driehaus’ cash.

What about putting the Burnham memorial at 31st Street, where it could enliven the lakefront across from the residential complex that Chicago intends to build whether or not it is selected to host the 2016 Olympics?

Why not devote the resources for this competition to creating a bridge or tunnel that would allow pedestrians to cross Lake Shore Drive between Buckingham Fountain and the lakefront? That has long languished on the civic priority list.

Instead, the Burnham memorial committee picked the Museum Campus site 'because of its visibility and because of its pedestrian access and being located in Burnham Park,' committee member Reuben Hedlund, a former chair of the Chicago Plan Commission, said."