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Chicago's newest park, Millennium Park is scheduled to finally be completed this summer with the inaguration July 16th. If you don't know, this park was originally proposed to be completed in the year 2000, hence the name, but with so many new add ons to the original park, the finish date has been pushed back further as the costs have increased greatly. But I don't mind the wait because what we'll all get is a much better park than what was originally planned. Oh and keep in mind there is a Bandshell by Gehry with seating for 4,000 and another 7,000 in the lawn, trellis soundsystem, a 2,186 car garage underneath this park too, an adjacent theater for 1,500, a restaurant for 300, an ice skating rink, a 110 ton highly polished steel sculpture by Anish Kapoor, only the second public permant work of his, a 16,448-square-foot bicycle facility that will include indoor secure parking for 300 bikes, showers and lockers, bicycle rental and repair, Two 50 ft fountains with LED screens, a Peristyle, a granite promonade, a garden with a walking bridge that has water running under it, and over 700 trees that are fully grown all on 24.5 acres of space.

Millennium Park (http://www.millenniumpark.net)



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http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/past_exhibitions/gehry/images/projects/projects_images/millenium13_lg.jpg

http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/Bridge_Aerial.jpg

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http://www.ksarch.com/images/milpark_14.jpg

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http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/HarrisTheater_2.jpg

http://ggnltd.com/projects/monroe%20garden/images/new%20MG.jpg

just beautiful!!! congrats for chicago,now the whole downtown looks great,it's the perfect city!!! i am planning visiting chicago in 2005

Milchi, thanks for posting that. I would've but I dunno how to post pics. Millenium park looks awesome right now. I love how Lurie Garden is going to turn out.






OSCYRKORSO, when you come to Chicago do the architectural tours. Visit the neighborhoods. Go see a CUBS game- this is a must. Don't do the obvious, look for hidden treasures withing the city.

Wow. Go Chicago. This looks like a significant contribution to the city as a whole.

Amazing park. I love the Gehry bridge, it's like a titanium snake.

I like the LED fountains, but the face looks freaky. Like something out of 1984.

I'm sorry I did not realize this was in this section also. Well much has happened, I had a chance this past sunday to take a tour. It is an amazing public space. Incredibly brillant design, and when it opens it will blow people away. I even got a chance to get on the gehry bridge, here are some pics for now. I will add more at http://www.millenniumpark.net.

Enjoy.

http://millenniumpark.net/im/fullgehry.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/bridge/lookingeast.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/bridge/lookingnorth.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/lurie/lurieback.jpg

nevermind

just amazing!!! that was just the only place in downtown that didnt look good....but now hell,downtown chicago has everything,it's just great,i think it's PERFECT!! congrats,u've got a nice city,definetely i'll be there in 2005...I will visit the neighbourhoods too,just to check it all the city is as great as downtown!! (i dont think so)

Creo que te sorprenderas que los vecindarios son aun mas interesantes, encuentras de todo, bueno oir que vendras a visitar de nuevo.

Here are the plans for the three day opening weekend of the park:


Opening Weekend Events


Be among the first to experience the beauty, excitement and innovation of Millennium Park, Chicago’s extraordinary new showplace of world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design. Join in a free, grand-opening celebration of Chicago’s newest performance venue.

Performance schedule is subject to change.

Friday, July 16
Grand Opening Evening
Experience the first-ever performance in the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Head for the billowing curves of stainless steel and take a seat under the magnificent acoustical canopy.

5 – 7:30pm -- Explore the park and discover Pathway Performances throughout – world music, jazz, folk, pop/rock, hip-hop, choral, dance, strings, drumming, magic, puppetry and more! Performers include: Alfonso Ponticelli and Swing Gitan (Gypsy swing), David Kovac (Vaudevillian magician/juggler), Farm Crew (hip-hop), Nathaniel Braddock Ensemble with Hedwig Dances (improvisational jazz and dance), The Downtown Sound (polka) and others to be announced.

Enjoy the madcap comedy of the Kapoot clowns as they perform on the Great Lawn.

7:30 – 10pm -- Grand Unveiling of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
Pritzker Premiere
Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus
Carlos Kalmar, Conductor; Christopher Bell, Chorus Director; Rachel Barton, Violin; Valentina Lisitsa, Piano; David Schrader, Harpsichord; Jonita Lattimore and Elizabeth Norman, Sopranos
Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar leads the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus in this historic concert featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Copland, and the world premiere of John Corigliano's Midsummer Fanfare, commissioned for the occasion.

10 – 10:30pm -- Watch as Redmoon Theater illuminates the park with a dramatic installation of lanterns, fire and film.

10:30pm – midnight -- Stay up late for performances featuring contemporary classical group Fulcrum Point New Music Ensemble and Fareed Haque & The Indo-Pak Jazz Coalition, featuring Goran Ivanovic and Kahil El Zabar. Dance to the selections of DJ’s Steve “Silk” Hurley and Derrick Carter.

Saturday, July 17
Chicago’s Own
Spend the day immersed in the art and culture of Chicago.

6:30 – 10am -- Sunrise Citywide Workout
Get up early and join a drum circle followed by fitness instruction in Yoga, Tai Chi and Caribbean Rhythms. Presented in collaboration with the Mayor’s Fitness Council.



6:30 – 7am Drum circle led by John Yost of Rhythm Revolution

7 – 7:45am Tai Chi led by Master Jianhua Guo

8 – 8:45am Yoga led by Tom Quinn

9 – 9:45am Caribbean Rhythms led by Aida Johnson
9am – 4pm -- Park Tours, every 30 minutes from locations throughout the park
Learn about the history, architecture and art of Millennium Park with tours led by Chicago Architecture Foundation docents.

10am – 12:30pm -- Grant Park Orchestra Open Rehearsal
Witness how the conductor and orchestra prepare for a concert at this open rehearsal.


12:30 – 3:30pm -- Chicago On Parade
Join over 20 music and dance companies representing Chicago's various neighborhoods and cultural traditions in this one-of-a-kind parade. Watch the grand entrance and enjoy performances on stages throughout the park. Then make a costume or instrument and join the performers in the final procession. Performing groups include:



AfriCaribe/Nuestro Tambo (Afro-Puerto Rican "bomba" music)

Arirame (Korean traditional music and dance)

Chicago Chinese Cultural Center's Lion Dance (Chinese Lion Dance)

Chicago Samba (Brazilian bossa nova, jazz)

Clinard Dance Theatre (traditional Flamenco and Spanish folk dance)

The Happiness Club (hip-hop song and dance)

Hromovytsia Ukrainian Dance Ensemble (traditional Ukrainian dance)

Indonesian Dance Troupe (traditional Indonesian dance)

Jesse White Tumbling Team (tumbling)

Kokyo Taiko (Japanese Taiko music)

M.A.D.D. Rhythms (tap dance)

The Mas Bands of Chicago Carifete (West Indian masquerade bands)

Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago (regional Mexican folk dances)

Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago (African inspired dance)

Na Kupuna Ukelele Club (Hawaiian songs and hula dance)

Native American Indian Drum & Dance Troupe (Native American drum and dance)

Olympian Greek Dance Troupe (Greek folk dance)

Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago (Punjabi "bhangra" dance and drums)

Rheinischer Verein- German Mardi Gras (German drum and bugle corps)

Sanabel Palestinian Debka Group (traditional Palestinian dance)

"Siumni" Polish Highlanders Folk Dance Troupe (Traditional Polish dance)

Trinity Academy of Irish Dance (Irish step dance)
3:30 – 6:30pm -- Reflecting Chicago
Experience the diversity of Chicago’s music scene all on one stage with this concert featuring All Natural, Fred Anderson, Lurrie Bell, Andrew Bird, Billy Branch and the Sons of the Blues, Maggie Brown, Oscar Brown Jr., Terry Callier, Otis Clay, Orbert Davis, Diverse, David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Von Freeman, Robbie Fulks, Kelly Hogan, Ella Jenkins, Ramsey Lewis, Sharon Lewis, Reginald McCracken and the True Voices of Christ Gospel Choir, Poi Dog Pondering, Reginald Robinson, Koko Taylor, Studs Terkel, Jon Weber, 8 Bold Souls, and others!

3:30 – 7:30pm -- Pathway Performances, ranging from flamenco guitar to Russian folk singing continue throughout the park. Performers include: Las Guitarras de Espana (flamenco guitar and dance), Gingarte Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts, dance and percussion), Mosaic (Arabic, Turkish, Armenian and Sephardic), Golosá (Russian folk choir) and others to be announced.

6:30 – 7:30pm -- Enjoy the madcap comedy of the Kapoot clowns as they perform on the Great Lawn.

7:30 – 9:30pm -- Jennifer Larmore Sings Mahler
Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, Conductor; Jennifer Larmore, Mezzo Soprano
This concert features John Corigliano’s Midsummer Fanfare (GPMF commission), Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder, and Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Opus 47 by Shostakovich.


9:30 - 10pm -- Watch as Redmoon Theater illuminates the park with a dramatic installation of lanterns, fire and film.

10pm – 1am -- Performances continue into the night with Ira Glass of “This American Life” with the visuals of Chris Ware, contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, The Aluminum Group, and Angel Melendez and The 911 Mambo Orchestra.

Sunday, July 18
Family Favorites
Bring the whole family to the Park for another fun-filled day of music and more.

9am – 4pm -- Park Tours, every 30 minutes from locations throughout the park
Learn about the history, architecture and art of Millennium Park with tours led by Chicago Architecture Foundation docents.

10am – 12:30pm -- Wait, Wait ... Don’t Tell Me
Test your news savvy during a live taping of NPR and Chicago Public Radio’s oddly informative news quiz. Hosted by Peter Sagal, with official judge and scorekeeper, NPR’s emeritus newsman Carl Kassell, and featuring regular panelists, humorist and author Roy Blount Junior, Air America host Sue Ellicott, and writer and performer Adam Felber.

Noon – 3pm -- Three Ring Circus
Join the Bumblinni Brothers, Chicago Youth Circus and Midnight Circus for a show in the center ring, then learn the secrets to clowning, juggling and other circus techniques.

Noon – 3:30pm -- Family Performances
Enjoy opera performances by singers from the Gallery 37 Operatics Vocal Ensemble and the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, as well as highlights of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Summer Opera program. Ralph Covert and Ella Jenkins perform music for kids at the Wrigley Square Peristyle. And the Chicago Children’s Choir performs at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

3:30 – 5pm -- Chicago Immigrant Orchestra
Creativity emerges when traditional musicians representing Chicago’s ethnic communities come together to form a 22-piece orchestra.

5 – 6:30pm -- Crepuscule
Experience improvisational jazz percussion performed by professional musicians and students throughout the park. Artistic Director and composer Douglas Ewart orchestrates this collective composition that celebrates creativity and community in a unique way.

5:30 – 6:30pm -- Enjoy the madcap comedy of the Kapoot clowns as they perform on the Great Lawn.

6:30 – 8:30pm -- Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5

Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor; Alban Gerhardt, cello The weekend’s final concert features John Corigliano’s Midsummer Fanfare (GPMF commission), Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, Opus 85, and Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Opus 47 by Shostakovich.

All Weekend



Family Album
Explore monumental photographs of families from around the world. This exhibition of 110 photographs by Uwe Ommer celebrates the concept of the family in its many forms and demonstrates the beauty of diversity.

Listen In
Use your cell phone to access this series of unique artist-created performances, each inspired by different areas of the park. Artists include CC Carter, The House Theatre, Connor Kalista and Stephen Lapthisophon.
The only Gehry-designed bridge in the world complements the Pritzker Pavilion. For more information about Millennium Park Grand Opening events, visit www.millenniumpark.org or call 312.742.1168.

Thanks milchi,
I just found out about SSC, can't believe it took this long. As a resident in the Loop, I have the fortune of being only two blocks from Millennium Park. I've been watching the progress for quite a while, and am getting very excited for it to finally open (It's been way too long).
I see that the "BP" Bridge has been dedicated (on 5/22/04) but it is still not open to the public as of this week. Sad.....

From a fellow looper... welcome to the site :)

Hey my uncle lives in the Loop, maybe a block from Union Station and about 4 from Sears!

Thanks for the welcome...
Geoff, I promise I didn't steal "InTheLoop" from your tag line. I registered at the end of last month, and didn't see it until last week.
Naptown, I work two blocks from Union Station, accross the the Citicorp building (Northwestern Station)

Thanks for the welcome...
Geoff, I promise I didn't steal "InTheLoop" from your tag line. I registered at the end of last month, and didn't see it until last week.
Naptown, I work two blocks from Union Station, accross the the Citicorp building (Northwestern Station)
My uncle works in 1 South Wacker (crazy building).

I'm not sure what the building is called, but it was a warehouse at one time, converted into lofts.

hehe, I don't care if you did steal your name from my tag... if you're in the loop you're in the loop and you should be proud!

So, I went down to the park yesterday because I had a sneaking suspicion that the fountain LCD's might be on and they were. So, here's my question... does anyone else think that the giant faces on them are sort of creepy?

Also, does anyone know if they've run any tests of the system with actual water running on them yet? I really hope that the water darkens up the backside of each fountain because, right now, they look a bit transparent (you can see way too much of the innards).

My uncle works in 1 South Wacker (crazy building).

I'm not sure what the building is called, but it was a warehouse at one time, converted into lofts.


Naptown, with all due respect, Isn't One South Wacker that Helmet Jahn building? (And not one of his better buildings at that) There are office lofts on Wacker Drive a little further north on the river at 180 North.

Also, does anyone know if they've run any tests of the system with actual water running on them yet? I really hope that the water darkens up the backside of each fountain because, right now, they look a bit transparent (you can see way too much of the innards).

I saw a clip on one of the local news stations about two weeks ago where they were testing the north tower with water, but as usual for local news, it was short and fluffy, with no actual depth to the story.
It is supposed to be done in just over a month, but anticipation keeps me going over to the park after work at least every other day.
I am also getting very psyched about the Kapoor Sculpture. It promises to be absolutely amazing.

Naptown, with all due respect, Isn't One South Wacker that Helmet Jahn building? (And not one of his better buildings at that) There are office lofts on Wacker Drive a little further north on the river at 180 North.
Yeah he works at One South Wacker, lives at an old warehouse truned lofts.

I was able to sneak a peek inside the Kapoor tent when I was there this weekend. They've got the whole bottom of the the thing done... looks to be about 40-50% complete overall?

BTW... there's a live webcam inside the tent so we can watch the progress http://www.usequities.com/MPark.htm

^Isn't just amazing in person, when we got to walk under it, it was huge, i cant wait to see it finished, at first I wondered how they would keep people off of it, but then standing next to it, you realize just how monstoursily huge it is.

I think it would be far too slippery to climb even if it wasn't so big :)

This entire project comined with the Freedom Tower in NYC confirm that no one has taste anymore.

Are you trying to start a riot crunch? Millennium Park happens to be a fairly popular project locally. With the exception of a slight "theme-park" feel, I think most are quite pleased with it. The individual pieces are all quite stunning (although their integration into the whole could stand to be tweaked).

I think this is tasteful to the extreme. The Gehry Bandshell is purely a work of art! Very nice.

I'm sorry, but it's just more typical Ghery schlock (remember when it was cool and innovative? I miss that...) with a bunch of lacking so-called "art" all unfortuanately set in a fine American city.

Sorry, but this is near the Gary Busey level on the scale of ugliness.

You've said your peice crunch, there is no point to continue posting in this thread. thanks.

It looks amazing driving down L.S.D.

^ Well Ive never gotten to Bilboa but am taken by its unique design, the difference here is that gehry didnt create any buildings for this he designed the stage and the top of the band shell along with the trellis, and the bridge. perhaps it just isnt read well in pictures, but standing on the lawn, and standing anywhere near the "sculptured" pavilion is a lot different from viewing it from images, it changes everywhere you stand, quite interest.

Another thing is we did not jump on the gehry bandwagon, but this project has been coming along since 1998, and the pritzker's who are from chicago and give out the prestigous pritzker award wanted gehry to do this, and this was before bilboa was finished. The difference is that this is for Chicago, a free venue for everyone to enjoy, how many other cities would plow this kind of money into a project like this? Not many.

Okay so its been a while since I posted my stuff about the tour so I just finished posting on my site millenniumpark.net (http://www.millenniumpark.net). Enjoy, a cool thing is all the locations in the park that will be rented out, this place will have something going on all times of the year.
http://millenniumpark.net/greatspaces/chicago/pritzkerout.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/greatspaces/chicago/gehryskyline.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/greatspaces/chicago/pritzkerspeaker.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/greatspaces/chicago/pritzkerwater.jpg

http://millenniumpark.net/greatspaces/chicago/luriebridge.jpg

I love it, I can't imagine how great the skyline views are.

^ Oh they're incredible, I think the Gehry bridge will be the best place to appreciate just how interesting the skyline is, you can sit there and name of building after building, really cool, and the bridge is awesome in that it snakes this way and that way moving up then over and down, its really cool. July 16, July 16th.

milchi, Your contributions to this thread are very much appreciated. Millennium Park is going to be just one more jewel in the crown of first rate architecture in Chicago. (I will admit, we have fallen a bit behind, and this is helping us to catch up.)
The Kapoor Sculpture, Plensa Fountain, and other amenities will be such an exciting thing for visitors to the city to enjoy. As for the Gehry Bandshell (and footbridge), they are unique to Chicago. Other cities may have Gehry buildings, but we have the only bandshell, and bridge designed by Gehry, and I myself look forward to many free concerts at the park.
I snapped this pic of the footbridge about six weeks ago before the grass was in. It's a bit dated now, but I still like the contrast of the steel and the dirt.

http://spe.fotologs.net/?u=iconeon&i=2004/06/11/1086956916.jpg&c=f

Standing under the trellis is a truly amazing experience. I was sort of upset when it was first put up (although I understood its necessity) because it sort of blocks the view of the bandshell from Michigan Avenue (looking north). The sacrifice, however, is well worth it. Standing underneath it is like being inside a snow-globe with one of the World's most recognizable views surrounding you.

On a very strange sidenote: I'm watching Fox's coverage of the Reagan funeral... how is it that I've never noticed before that every woman in Washington has the exact same haircut? I can't tell them apart!

I'll be there on the 19th, so I'll get some pics of it and the views from it. I'm hoping the weather will be clear!

From the Chicago Tribune-6/12/04

"Mayor Richard M. Daley and his wife, Maggie, have decided to purchase a condominium in a new luxury high-rise overlooking one of the biggest and most controversial developments of his 15 years in office--Millennium Park.
The tower, now under construction, is on Randolph Street, two blocks north of Madison Street--the city's dividing line between north and south.

See full story under the Heritage at Millennium Park Thread.

Reuters

Park Marks Chicago Bid to Revive Architectural Glory

Mon Jun 28, 2004 09:09 AM ET

By Andrew Stern

CHICAGO (Reuters) - After decades of mediocrity in a city known for its elegant skyscrapers, Chicago hopes to stage an architectural renaissance with a new $475 million park featuring a swirling steel band shell designed by Frank Gehry.

The city's civic boosters are gushing over Millennium Park, a 25-acre downtown park built on top of unsightly railroad tracks near Lake Michigan that opens in July. The outdoor concert venue designed by famed architect Gehry forms its centerpiece.

"Millennium Park is a defining element for the city. It's got so much great public art," park planner Edward Uhlir said. "Chicago took its time and created something that's going to be an asset for a very long time."

A $750,000 three-day opening gala featuring concerts, fireworks, a three-ring circus and a dawn tai chi workout is scheduled to begin July 16.

The third-largest U.S. city secured its architectural fame as the 19th century birthplace of the steel-framed skyscraper and later nurtured the low-slung Prairie style of Frank Lloyd Wright and the graceful modernism of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

But Chicago's reputation for innovative architecture languished in recent decades, its silhouette blighted by undistinguished glass and steel office buildings, monolithic concrete condominium towers and ubiquitous three-story brick apartments.

VIDEO FOUNTAIN

Conceived in 1997 and intended as part of the city's celebration of the new century, Millennium Park was aimed at recapturing the spirit of innovative design that had brought Chicago architectural glory.

The main stage is framed by Gehry's signature curved steel ribbons, and sound is projected overhead via a domed trellis larger than two football fields, creating concert hall-style intimacy for 11,000 listeners.

Gehry, architect of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, also designed his first bridge for the park, a sinuous walkway over a busy street linked to other parkland.

A fountain by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa with a black granite base and glass-brick towers features giant video images of Chicagoans projected onto the glass. A 66-foot-long polished steel sculpture many liken to a kidney bean was created by Indian-born London artist Anish Kapoor.

Landscaped gardens, an underground theater, a Greek peristyle, an ice rink and twin solar-powered pavilions round out the offerings.

In a city that once lived by architect Daniel Burnham's adage "make no little plans," proposals for the park were revamped again and again amid charges of cost overruns and cronyism.

In its original conception, the park, paid for with both public and private money, was projected to cost $150 million and due to be completed four years ago. But those targets fell by the wayside as the scope of the project grew and more land was added.

NOT ENOUGH TREES

Not everyone is pleased with the result, of course.

Noted architect and curmudgeon Stanley Tigerman said he admired the park, though he lamented it had acquired a "theme park" atmosphere and complained it lacked enough trees.

Erma Tranter, head of a park watchdog group, said Chicago needed to set aside more green space in its neighborhoods as the city ranks last among large U.S. cities in the amount of parkland per resident.

Other critics say money for the park would have been better spent on relieving poverty and improving infrastructure.

"We'd like to see more transit stations, repairs to major thoroughfares, more money put into public libraries, more money in public schools. But (Mayor Richard) Daley tends to focus on these monumental high-profile projects that he sees as making Chicago a world-class city and are really designed to feed his legacy," said advocate Jacqueline Leavy.

But Daley, who is rumored to be moving into a condominium overlooking the park, is accustomed to getting his way and has made a mission of draping the city's asphalt in greenery.

In addition to the park, the effort to reinvigorate Chicago's reputation for great design has been strengthened by some daring new buildings that have sprouted up, many on university campuses, in recent years.

Buildings by an international lineup of "starchitects" -- among them Rem Koolhaas, Helmut Jahn and Ralph Johnson -- drew raves and led some critics to declare bold design was back.

"Architecture is meant to be there for more than a minute-and-a-half. There's a lot of great stuff coming up in the city," said Tigerman. "Where would you rather be an architect?"

But a recent wholesale renovation of Soldier Field stadium that features a glaring clash of modern and classical garnered mixed reviews. And the jury is out on Adrian Smith's unbuilt design for a 90-story skyscraper, Donald Trump's first foray in the city, and on Renzo Piano's planned addition for the Art Institute of Chicago.

http://wwwi.reuters.com/images/mdf612088.jpg
An overhead view of Millennium Park in Chicago, as shown June 24, 2004. The 25 acre park, which cost 500 million dollar, opens on July 16 as part of the city's effort to recapture its architectural glory.

Oh man, that park looks great. I can't wait till it opens! :eek2:

`The Bean' gets name, September finish date

By Alan G. Artner
Tribune art critic
Published June 29, 2004

British sculptor Anish Kapoor, in town briefly for the fitting of the final stainless-steel plates on his massive piece under construction in Millennium Park, has named the work "Cloud Gate" and said it will "almost certainly not be fully finished" until September.

"The problem of outdoor sculpture--more so in contemporary times than in periods gone by--is that it needs to determine for itself a purpose," Kapoor said. "This piece hovers between architecture and sculpture. It is a kind of gate, and when completed, three-quarters of its surface will be [reflections of] sky. So it naturally suggested `Cloud Gate,' even though some people will probably still call it `The Bean,'" its popular nickname since the project's inception.

The last plate at the top of the sculpture was fitted on Monday. The more than 100 plates must be welded and polished to give the piece a seamless, reflective surface.

"A work like this had never been created," Kapoor said, "and it was impossible to quantify how long it would take. It will probably be finished in September."

Opening ceremonies for the park are scheduled for July 16-18, during which period the current enclosure will be removed. After that, a smaller tent, possibly inflatable, will be erected until the work is complete.

"I think there will be a formal dedication [in September]," said Ed Uhlir, project design director for Millennium Park, "but it is too early to pin down the exact date."
Copyright © 2004, Chicago Tribune