FIELD MUSEUM. The View North

In 1919, from the North Steps of the Field Museum, a sharp eye might have seen this bronze statue standing on top of Schmidt Garden & Martin's Montgomery Ward Building. She is a Spirit of Progress and now stands on the Montgomery Ward Warehouse on Chicago Avenue. The original that inspired her was a Saint Gaudens at the Agriculture Building at the Columbian Exposition. In my mind she is forever a part of Aaron Montgomery Wards's efforts to keep Grant Park "forever open, clear and free." She once watched over Grant Park.

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Today, it would take a very sharp eye, indeed, to find her on the skyline. She would be dwarfed. Of somehow, little importance. Along with the Carbon and Carbide Tower, the Pittsfield, and Willoughby.
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Objects of great height appear closer than smaller objects. The distance between less. Imagine the impression of Grant Park's openness and size if it were defined only by the "small" wall of buildings that line Michigan Avenue. Understand how fragile Grant Park has been made by the huge scale of buildings that define and surround it. Even small, well intentioned mistakes become irreparable. The view below is to Monroe at Columbus. In the heart of the Park.

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When we think of Daniel Burnham we think of "no little plans." But we should remember that even his biggest ideas had a sense of scale and orientation. A place for detail. And a little peace. Remember that even a small monument in his honor, located poorly, may not serve his legacy. And that a huge undertaking ,well conceived in principles, like the Field Museum, behind me, becomes an unforgettable part of the fabric of the City we all love.
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CHICAGO PHOTOS are available at IMAGES IN THE LOOP