Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Garden

1905 Federal Building Columns

At its entrance are two 40-foot Corinthian columns salvaged from Chicago’s 1905 Federal Building. The columns are on axis with the classical columns of the Field Museum of Natural History located at the far south end of Grant Park.[3] Architect Henry Ives Cobb designed the columns. Before being placed in the Cancer Survivors Garden, the columns were submerged near the Lake Michigan shoreline in 1983 to help reinforce a breakwater.[1] The Chicago Architecture Foundation donated the columns to be placed next to the garden’s main pavilion.

Main pavilion at the Cancer Survivors Garden entrance

Cancer Survivors Garden pavilions located on the South end of the garden

The garden contains a total of 3 pavilions. The main pavilion, at the park's entrance, represents the “Road To Recovery” for cancer patients. Inside the pavilion are 7 plaques explaining the basic steps to overcome cancer. Two other pavilions are located on the southern end of the garden.

The perennial garden walkway is lined with flowers, trees, and shrubs. Throughout the path there are 16 plaques that have inspirational quotes and resources for cancer patients. An example of a quote from one of these plaques is, “Make up your mind that when your Cancer is gone, you are through with it”. The path is designed to give cancer patients a positive attitude. Furthermore, this section of the garden can also be rented for events such as weddings.