The south end of the Federal Plaza has recently seen an upgrade of the mechanical systems that lie beneath it. After being closed for more than a year, it has been replanted and is again open to the public.
I like to imagine what stood on this spot in other days. Before the squat black Mies van der Rohe post office was built, a grand old cruciform Federal Building, capped by a fancy dome, took up the whole block. It was destroyed to make way for the present complex in the 1960s.
The buildings ringing the site—the Clark-Adams, the Com-Ed Building, and the old Marquette—seem to get along well with their new neighbor, though. And the new plantings only enhance an already appealing scene.
curatedknowledge says
This looks eerily similar to where in ‘The Lake House’ the future Keanu Reeves dude dies getting hit by a car.
Sad that i have seen the movie and remember it i know! but the spot was just so picturesque. The image reminds me of this spot in Melbourne where i live, it screams peaceful even thought it’s smack bang in the middle of the CBD. I wonder if that is the design intention or blind luck?
Celia says
Goodness, you may be right! I too have seen that incredibly lame movie and vaguely recall that pivotal event occurring in a spot that’s very open. Maybe someone who is an expert in the canon of Keanu Reeves can tell us. This is one of I would say three major plazas in the city, the others being the Daley Plaza (with the Picasso) and the old First National Bank plaza (with the Chagall).
What please is the CBD? o wait–it’s central business district, right?
Yes, this plaza is right in the heart of the south Loop and is crossed by thousands of people every day. The buildings are by Mies, but the plaza itself has many merits, though they are more limited than the activities that occurred in town squares traditionally. At least there is a farmers’ market on Thursdays. . . . These new plantings are a plus. cheers, Celia