Extending 2.7 miles along Bloomindale Avenue, this elevated, linear park incorporates an embankment to transform a former rail line into a pedestrian path. In 2001, when the tracks were decommissioned, the Chicago Park District and the Trust for Public Land engaged Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) landscape architects to design a park that supports diverse recreational opportunities. Completed in 2015 it is named for the first three digits of the local zip code and connects the neighborhoods of Wicker Park, Bucktown, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square.
The elevated structure encompasses a continuous, fourteen-foot-wide, paved promenade from end to end that was lushly planted with more than 200 species including burr oak, grasses, and sedges, supplemented with poplar, sumac, and paperbark maple trees that evoke diverse habitats.
For most of its extent, the path is 30 feet wide; at its western edge it widens to 60 feet. MVVA strategically cut into the embankment to introduce topographical variation. The path is also framed by arced streetlamps and ample benches that allow visitors to enjoy the elevated vantage point. Conceptual artist Frances Whitehead strategically planted serviceberry specimens throughout to reveal seasonal climatic changes associated with the 鈥淟ake Effect.鈥
Entrances are located irregularly along the route, including connections to four adjoining parks. The western section is anchored by a mound, named the Exelon Observatory, which is navigated by a spiral path and topped by a circular enclosure edged by a stainless-steel lip. Designed by Whitehead to evoke the Chankillo Archaeoastronomical Complex in Peru, the lip includes four notches that frame the setting sun of each equinox and solstice. The mound, intended for stargazing, affords views of the surrounding landscape. The project received an American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Honor Award in Urban Design in 2020.
