By Billy Kenefick
Special to Inside
A public hearing last Wednesday will help the Lincoln Park Conservancy, which is working with the Chicago Park District, to fine tune its master plan for the Lincoln Park Conservatory at 2391 N. Stockton Dr.—a renovation that will cost approximately $22 million in private funds. Using community input, the Conservancy aims to protect green space and the environment, promote safety, and plan for the future of a more beautiful Lincoln Park. A proposal by David Woodhouse and his associates was chosen by the Conservancy out of a group of 14 submissions.
Andy Tinucci, an architect with David Woodhouse Architects, said that their aim was "not to change the Conservatory, but to restore the Conservatory." Designed in 1895 by Joseph L. Silsbee, the building is noted for the beautiful bell-shaped glass "Palm House." According to Tinucci, Silsbee was inspired by the exotic nature of the plants that were to be featured, and wanted the building to have an exotic and "Arabic" feel to reflect the spectacular contents within. Throughout the years, the building and landscaping went through a variety of changes, most notably the addition of ugly bathrooms that flank the east and west sides of the front entrance in the 1950s.
Woodhouse pointed out the problems that the proposal would correct: rusted metal and broken glass, the inaccessibility of certain areas to the handicapped, the bad shape of the northwest and southeast propagation houses, and the lack of a reception area. In addition, it would restore the entrance to emulate the 1925 style, create a north end courtyard, open up the orchid house, make use of the unused space as a circulation garden, make the Fern Room handicapped-accessible, build a special events conservatory with a café, replace the asphalt in the parking lot with environmentally-friendly "permeable paver," and put offices and classrooms in the basement. The newly reconstructed Conservatory will be two-thirds public space, while the current Conservatory is only one-third public space.
Landscape architect Peter Schaudt discussed the outdoor improvements: preserving the natural glacial ridge on the property, designing the grass in front of the entrance to resemble an amphitheatre, rebuilding the water garden and the path in front of the zoo, and redesigning the area directly in front of the entrance to make it more of a people-gathering place.
"We are serious about tree preservation," Schaudt said. "We are integrating new ideas, revealing layers of history in the landscape, and we are cognizant of the intimacy and scale of the area."
After the presentation there was a question session led by Dan Purciarello of the Conservancy. Purciarello reassured the participants that the Conservatory is to remain a free resource after the construction, and that the response to the project has been positive. Exact costs and schedules have yet to be worked out. "The Chicago Park District has been a great partner so far," Purciarello said.
There is another meeting scheduled in the same location at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. Visit www.friendslp.org for more information about the Lincoln Park Conservancy.
Since forming in 1984, the Lincoln Park Conservancy has informally partnered with the Chicago Park District to finance the rehabilitation of the Alfred Caldwell Lilly Pool, which was complete in May 2002. The Conservancy raised $1.1 million and the Park District contributed $1.3 million to fund the $2.4 million rehabilitation project. Since the restoration of the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, the Conservancy's mission has expanded to include co-managing the Lily Pool with the Chicago Park District.
In August, the Chicago Park District's Board of Commissioners voted to enter into a five-year agreement with the Lincoln Park Conservancy, which will allow the non-profit group to continue to raise additional funds to further the preservation, restoration, improvement, management, and operation of Lincoln Park using the Lincoln Park Framework Plan as a guide. The formal agreement cements the positive relationship the conservancy has had with the park district for the past 21 years.
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