Midway Plaisance

Midway Plaisance is a linear park located near Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois approximately 5 miles from the downtown "Loop" area.

History

The Midway Plaisance began as a vision in the 1850's of Paul Cornell, a land developer, to turn an undeveloped stretch of infertile land south of Chicago into an urban lakeside retreat for middle and upper class residents seeking to escape the crowds and dirt of the booming city. The area was a lakefront marsh ecosystem.

Related Topics:
Paul Cornell - Marsh - Ecosystem

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In 1869, Cornell and his South Park Commission were granted the right to set up a complex of parks and boulevards that would include Washington Park to the west, Jackson Park to the east on the lakeshore, and the Midway Plaisance as a system of paths and waterways connecting the two.

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The firm of Olmsted, Vaux, and Co., famous for creating New York City's Central Park, was hired to design the urban oasis. Part of their plan was that the Midway would function as "a magnificent chain of lakes," allowing boaters to go from the ponds to be built in Washington Park to the lagoons to be developed in Jackson Park and through the lagoons to Lake Michigan.

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Unfortunately, the South Park Commission office where all the detailed plans were stored was located directly in the path of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The expense of rebuilding the city eliminated any expenditures that the plans would have entailed anyway, and the area remained largely in its natural swampy state.

Related Topics:
Great Chicago Fire - 1871

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