| Address | North end of Lincoln Park Zoo at Fullerton Parkway |
|---|---|
| Built | 1936-38 |
| Architect | Landscape Architect: Alfred Caldwell |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | November 6, 2002 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 95925 |
| Neighborhood | Lincoln Park |
| Type | Park and landscape |
| Landmark ID | L-60 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“The newly rehabilitated lily pool is one of the most important landscapes in Chicago, restored to Alfred Caldwell's original design, and providing a unique respite for visitors and Chicagoans alike.”
“Not perfect, but solid. Solid in his convictions." Domer adds, "Caldwell worked in the shadow of some of the most celebrated masters of design in the twentieth century.”
“From Grese, "Roots of the Prairie Style (Part I)": p. 4, top & center. From Bachrach, "Columbus Park: A Masterpiece in Landscape Design": p. 4, bottom. From Domer, Alfred Caldwell: p. 6, top.”
“Caldwell characterized the landscape as "a cool, refreshing, clear place of trees and running water." It is generally considered his finest effort and one of the most important historic landscapes in the city.”
“It was Jensen, in particular, who articulated the landscape architecture of the Midwest and led the movement to save the unique natural features that gave Chicago and other cities of the region their distinctive character.”
“Donoghue hired Caldwell to use WPA manpower to create natural, prairie-style public gardens, groves, and landscapes. Caldwell, known not only for his knowledge of plants but for his ability to rapidly draw intricate plans for park designs and plantings, became such a powerful influence on the Park District that its 1937 annual report is filled with Prairie School ideas.”
“Wright, Jensen, Mies, Hilberseimer, and [California architect] Craig Ellwood had greater public stature than Caldwell, but all of them recognized his great understanding of nature, his superb drawing ability, knowledge of construction, experience in building, and capacity to envision vast urban spaces.”
“Constructed to resemble a river running through a great Midwestern prairie, the lily pool represents perhaps the clearest articulation of the vision of its creator and namesake, whose work in Chicago has helped define the "Prairie School" of landscape architecture, so named because of the common values it shared with Prairie School building architecture.”
“One other park commission was organized in these early years: the Special Park Commission, whose members included social reformers Graham Taylor and Charles Zueblin, businessman Clarence Buckingham, Prairie School architect Dwight H. Perkins, Jens Jensen, and fellow landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds (1855-1931).”
“That year, Jens Jensen was selected general superintendent and chief landscape architect of the West Park System. He renovated Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas parks, using native plants and Prairie-style architectural elements, and opened many new small parks on the West Side before leaving the West Park Commission in 1920.”