So Southside....
The massive 500+ acre park connects the three historic neighborhoods of Hyde Park, South Shore and Woodlawn. Designed by the team that created New York's Central Park, the lush urban greenscape played host to the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 and is future home of the Obama Presidential Center.
Statue of the Republic
Better known as the "Golden Lady", the original 65-foot statue was destroyed in a fire shortly after the World's Columbian Exposition. Sculptor Daniel Chester French later went on to design the statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial.
Jackson Park Inner Harbor
Home to the Southern Shore Yacht Club, up to 150 power boats can be accommodated. Two other harbors in the park can house even more.
Ten Thousand Ripples
In 2012, Indira Freitas Johnson designed the emerging Buddha sculpture to represent a symbol of peace and self-realization.
Museum of Science and Industry
When the park's designers originally created the "White City" for the World's Columbian Exposition, they had no idea that the Fine Arts Palace would house one of Chicago's main cultural attractions some 40 years later.
Sky Landing
In 2016, acclaimed artist, musician, and peace activist Yoko Ono installed this piece on Jackson Park’s Wooded Island, home of the World's Columbian Exposition's Japanese Pavilion. Composed of a dozen 12-foot tall lotus flower petals, the sculpture is a symbol of peace which she described as the “place where the sky and earth meet and create a seed to learn about the past and come together to create a future of peace and harmony, with nature and each other.”
Garden of the Phoenix
The park district added this garden to the Japanese Pavilion, a gift of the Japanese government to introduce Americans to Japanese art and culture during the World's Columbian Exposition. The pavilion was destroyed by fire in 1946 but the "secret garden" remains.
Garden of the Phoenix: Stepping Stones
Pathway that connects one of two ponds inside the garden to the lagoon that surrounds the island. In spring, the water level rises and the path is surrounded by thousands of lilies. An old legend says the stones are laid in a zigzag because evil spirits can only move in a straight line, so if you cross the stones, any evil spirits will just fall into the water.
Garden of the Phoenix: Pavilion
Currently used for tea ceremonies during Japanese festivals and meditations. The original tea house and pavilion were subjected to arson during World War II.
Just a quick walk through the 500 acre park...
Credits:
Photo by Bia Medious