Daniel Burnham

In 2009, Chicago is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago (co-written with Edward Bennett) which served as the impetus for the eventual preservation of the downtown lakefront as well as nearly 20 continuous miles of public parks on the glorious lakeshore heading north and south. It was the first comprehensive plan for the controlled growth of an American city, and included ambitious proposals for the lakefront, the Chicago River, and creation of neighborhood parks so every citizen could walk to a park.



Burnham also worked on other city plans, including ones for Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Manila, Philippines.

Daniel Burnham (1846-1912) stated: "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty."

I believe he would be proud to see his prediction was accurate and his beloved lakefront has been preserved for public use, and his name will forever be linked with the spirit of Chicago. For those unfamiliar with the lakefront, see my page for the Chicago Lakefront Trail.




Burnham was an American architect and urban planner and also served as the Director of Works for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and designed several famous buildings, including the Flatiron Building in New York City and Union Station in Washington D.C.



Burnham and Root were the architects of one of the first American skyscrapers, the Masonic Temple Building in Chicago. Measuring 21 stories and 302 feet, the Temple held claims as the tallest building of its time, but was torn down in 1939. Other landmark structures they designed include the Montauk, the Monadnock Building, and The Rookery. Burnham's firm designed over 100 major projects across the country, including civic centers, office blocks, department stores, libraries, and numerous stations for the Penn Central Railroad. The station in Pittsburgh has been described as "Burnham baroque," and one critic sees the beginnings of Art Nouveau in its flowing lines.

Following his death, the firm continued his Chicago landmark tradition and designed the Civic Opera Building, Field Building, Field Museum, Merchandise Mart, Union Station, and Wrigley Building.

Burnham's dream of a public downtown lakefront was subsidized by legendary Chicago businessman, A. Montgomery Ward, who felt Chicago needed to have a publicly accessible "forever open, clear and free" lakefront and therefore personally purchased and donated much of the downtown lakefront land to this purpose.

Burnham Park, which also includes Burnham Harbor, McCormick Place, and Soldier Field, is a fitting tribute to his foresight. This six-mile-long park is located along Lake Michigan south of the Loop and connects Grant Park to Jackson Park, running from 14th Steet to 56th Street.