Chicago's Changing Michigan Avenue

Born in 1920, at the beginning of a decade of unprecedented real estate development, Michigan Avenue has retained its allure since its construction, but it has always been the subject of intense scrutiny. Recently, it was criticized as having lost some of its charm, with several well-known buildings radically altered or demolished in favor of new high-rise construction. University of Notre Dame professor of architecture John Stamper, author of Chicago’s North Michigan Avenue: Planning and Development 1900-1930, wrote, “The task undertaken by Daniel Burnham . . . to maintain some measure of control over the avenue’s development, is today largely forgotten and its ideals certainly ignored." (ULI membership is required to access the full text of this article.)

Thanks to Urban Land Magazine