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Museum Campus is a park on the Near South Side of Chicago that contains three of the city’s best museums, Soldier Field, and the largest convention center in North America, McCormick Place.
Introduction to Museum Campus
Museum Campus is an extension of Grant Park. It’s a pedestrian-friendly area with great views of the city, a portion of the Lakefront Trail, and plenty of places to get snacks, drinks, and food. It opened in 1998 after Lake Shore Drive was rerouted west of Soldier Field.
Field Museum
If walking to Museum Campus from Grant Park, the first building you’ll see is the Field Museum. It was established in 1893 and is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. The museum was originally located in Jackson Park until it moved to the current building which was built in 1921.
The museum was named in 1894 after department store magnate Marshall Field (1834-1906). When asked to fund the museum, he famously said “I don’t know anything about a museum and I don’t care to know anything about a museum. I’m not going to give you a million dollars.” He was later convinced that his legacy could be protected with an endowment of US$1,000,000. A further US$8,000,000 was donated after Field’s death.
The Field Museum offers world-class permanent and traveling exhibits. Among the permanent exhibits are Sue (the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil in the world), an ancient Egypt exhibit, a history of Native American settlement, and several mammals from Africa and Asia. A visit to the museum can take up a full day. The pictures of the interior are from a cousin’s wedding reception at the museum in June 2015.
On the east side of the building is a replica Olmec head. It was a gift to the city of Chicago from the state of Veracruz, Mexico. On the west side is a fossil of a brachiosaurus. It’s sometimes dressed up in support of Chicago’s sports teams.
Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium is east of the Field Museum. It opened in 1930 and has exhibits featuring a Caribbean reef, the Amazon River, species found in the lakes and rivers around Chicago, a shark tank, and an oceanarium with beluga whales, penguins, sea lions, and more. The aquarium was named after its benefactor, John G. Shedd, the second president of Marshall Field & Co. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.
Solidarity Drive
Solidarity Drive connects the mainland to Northerly Island. Along it is a promenade with three important monuments.
Kościuszko Monument
On the west end of Solidarity Drive is a monument to Polish-Lithuanian military leader Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746-1817). The monument was commissioned by a group of Chicagoans of Polish descent and created by Polish sculptor Kazimierz Chodziński (1861-1919 or 1921). It was originally installed at Humboldt Park in 1904 and moved to Solidarity Drive in 1978.
Havlíček Monument
Halfway down Solidarity Drive is a monument to Czech writer Karel Havlíček (1821-1856). It was created by Czech sculptor Joseph Strachovsky (1850-1913) in 1911. It originally stood in Douglas Park and was installed at its present location in 1983.
Copernicus Monument
A monument dedicated to Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) lies at the east end of Solidarity Drive. It was commissioned by the Adler Planetarium and unveiled in 1973 to mark the 500th anniversary of Copernicus’ birth. It’s a replica of an original designed in 1822 by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) and completed in 1830. The replica was created by Polish sculptor Bronisław Koniuszy (1917-1986).
Adler Planetarium
At the east end of Solidarity Drive is the Adler Planetarium. It was founded in 1930 as the very first planetarium in the country. It has exhibits about the history of astronomy, American space exploration, the planets, telescopes, and more. There are also theatres with a variety of films. The planetarium was named for Max Adler (1866-1952), a vice president of Sears Roebuck & Co. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.
Man Enters the Cosmos
Outside the planetarium is Man Enters the Cosmos, a bronze sundial sculpture by English sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986). It was erected in 1980. From the grass behind it are breathtaking views of the Chicago skyline.
Northerly Island
Walking south from the planetarium is Northerly Island, which has had a controversial history. The island is artificial, created between 1920 and 1925. It was originally supposed to be part of a five island chain envisioned by architect Daniel Burnham (1846-1912) in the 1909 Burnham Plan, but Northerly Island was the only one ever made. The city decided it was a good place to build the downtown airport and in 1946, the long-awaited Meigs Field finally opened after over 20 years. During this wait, the 1933 World’s Fair took place on the island.
Fast forward to 2003. Mayor Richard M. Daley had pledged to keep the airport open until 2006, but one morning the city woke up to a demolished runway. Daley sent crews in under the cover of night to have the airport destroyed. Many Chicagoans were furious, but the mayor insisted that it was done in the name of national security.
Nowadays, the First Merit Bank Pavilion occupies what used to be the northern part of the Meigs Field runway. It’s an outdoor amphitheater that seats 30,000. It was built in 2005. The rest of the island has been converted to a nature preserve with a concrete trail passing through it. Local wildlife and migratory birds have made homes on the island.
12th Street Beach
Also at Northerly Island, you can find 12th Street Beach. It’s a small, family-friendly beach with facilities. The beach is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day from 6am to 11pm. Swimming is only allowed when lifeguards are on duty.
Soldier Field
Heading back to the mainland, south of the Field Museum is a building that looks like a spaceship landed on a Greek temple. That’s Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Bears. It was built in 1924 as Grant Park Stadium and renamed Soldier Field in 1926 in honor of US veterans who have died in combat. The renovation took place in 2003, drastically altering the look of the stadium. In addition to Bears games, it holds soccer games, concerts, and other events.
The most striking feature are the colonnades on each side. On the north end is a monument with the dedication to the soldiers. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark on February 2, 1987, and was delisted from the program on February 17, 2006.
Gold Star Families Memorial and Park
East of Soldier Field is the Gold Star Families Memorial and Park. A memorial honors the names of Chicago police officers who have fallen in the line of duty.
Lakefront Trail
Finally, the Lakefront Trail runs along the lakeshore east of Soldier Field, continuing around the Shedd Aquarium and further north to Grant Park. The entire trail covers 18 miles along the shore of Lake Michigan.
