When it opened in July 2004, Millennium Park was four years behind schedule and $340 million over budget. But all of that was quickly subsumed by the magnitude of the accomplishment. The 24.5-acre showpiece has become the city’s unrivaled top attraction, a symbol of Chicago’s civic pride and vision. Each year, an estimated 20 million visitors stop by to snap selfies at Cloud Gate (a.k.a. the Bean), lounge on the Great Lawn, frolic at Crown Fountain, catch a concert at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, or commune with nature at Lurie Garden.
To mark the 20th anniversary of what has been hailed as “America’s most dazzling urban park,” Chicago spoke with organizers, artists, architects, builders, benefactors, and political insiders who played key roles in its often arduous, sometimes controversial, and ultimately triumphant…
