Queen’s Landing - pedestrian crossing and Lake Shore Drive Concept sketches
Queen's Landing - a $19 million pedestrian connection across/under Lake Shore Drive from Buckingham Fountain to Lake Michigan in Grant Park is currently programmed in the Illinois Department of Transportation's FY 2004-2008 Highway Improvement Program. Queen's Landing was named because the Chicago International Trade Fair, which took place on July 3rd thru the 18th in 1959 at Navy Pier sponsored by the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry, brought Queen Elizabeth II to Chicago.
This was a celebration of Chicago as a world seaport with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Countries from all over world shipped thousands of products to put on display and the main event was the visit to Chicago by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. They sailed down the new seaway in the Britannia royal yacht.It was the first time in history that a reigning British monarch had come to Chicago.She alighted the boat at what is now Queen's Landing to a large celebration.
By: Robert Gordon, Architect
While standing at the fountain one would be able to experience a vista of Lake Michigan without it being interrupted by all of the auto traffic and Lake Shore Drive. The “earth bridge" concept of extending the Buckingham Fountain table to Lake Michigan by depressing Lake Shore Drive will be elegant and unobtrusive putting pedestrians and bicyclists first and not obstruct the incredible view corridors of Lake Michigan and Grant Park.
We are working with the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Chicago Park District and Mayor's Office to make this a more public project and see that it gets built soon. Millions of people visit Buckingham Fountain from all over the world each year and once there see beautiful Lake Michigan but getting to it is a safety hazard and one of Chicago's worst pedestrian crossings in it its current condition. We are currently doing the public outreach to move it forward and bring the input and ideas and plans from those meetings and ideas to the Mayor.
