Polk Bros Park

Polk Bros Park is a 13-acre (5.3 ha) park at Chicago's Navy Pier.[1][2] The park features the Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion, Polk Bros Fountain, and the Polk Bros Performance Lawns, a pair of lawns with stages called City Stage and Lake Stage.

Polk Bros Park
The fountain in 2019, with Navy Pier in the background
LocationChicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°53′29″N 87°36′38″W
Area13 acres (5.3 ha)

Description
Sign for the park in 2023

Polk Bros Park serves as a "front lawn" to Chicago's Navy Pier. The park is named after the Polk family, who owned a large appliance and electronics store.[3] Features include the Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion, the Polk Bros Fountain, and the Polk Bros Performance Lawns.

Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion

The Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion is a 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) pavilion with restrooms, seating areas, a 35-foot (11 m) digital screen, LED lighting, and a green roof.[4]

Polk Bros Fountain
The fountain in 2023

The Polk Bros Fountain was designed by Fluidity Design Consultants. Landscape Architecture Magazine said, "From the outset, this water feature puts Navy Pier's emphasis on engaging and interactive social spaces. It's 100 feet in circumference, outlined by a set of 3-D modeled concrete berms worth scrambling over, with 147 water jets that create parabolic arcs that expand and contract. These concentric arcs are nearly architectural expressions themselves: tunnels that are the perfect size for children to run through in cloaks of mist emitted from the fountain’s center."[5]

Polk Brothers Performance Lawns
Concert at Lake Stage, 2023

The Polk Bros Performance Lawns are a pair of lawns at the park's south end, with stages City Stage and Lake Stage. City Stage has steps to seat approximately 700–750 people, and faces west, and Lake Stage has an east-facing, sloping lawn which can accommodate approximately 1,700 people.[1][2] The lawns are separated by a landscaped hilltop.[2]

History

The park and performance laws were funded by a $20 million donation Navy Pier by the Polk family in 2014, and designed by James Corner Field Operations.[6] The performance venues opened in 2017, as part of Navy Pier's 'Centennial Vision' redevelopment,[1] replacing the pier's unused South Dock.[2][7]

The joint venture Madison Evans Construction Group was hired for the project in 2013. James McHugh Construction contributed to the pavilion, which opened in 2018.[4][8][9] The pavilion was underwritten by Peoples Gas.[10][11]

Events

The park has hosted concerts,[3] film screenings,[12] and other events, such as fitness classes,[13] ice cream socials,[14] public art exhibitions,[15][16] and Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Shakespeare in the Park series.[17] The space has been considered to host Taste of Chicago.[18] In 2022, the park hosted a pop-up Pixar-themed mini-golf course.[19]

See also

References
  1. Bremer, Shelby (2017-07-10). "Navy Pier Debuts New Waterfront Performance Venues". NBC Chicago. Archived from the original on 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  2. Koziarz, Jay (2017-07-10). "New park, outdoor performance venues open tonight at Navy Pier". Curbed Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  3. "Polk Bros Park". Time Out Chicago. 2018-03-12. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  4. Valadez, Eloise Marie (2018-10-04). "Currents: Navy Pier's new Welcome Pavilion is state-of-the-art". nwitimes.com. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  5. "Pier Review | Landscape Architecture Magazine". landscapearchitecturemagazine.org. 2017-12-21. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  6. "Chicago's Polk family gives $20 million to Navy Pier". Chicago Tribune. 2014-07-17. Archived from the original on 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  7. "Navy Pier puts Family Pavilion renovation on hold as other work continues". Chicago Sun-Times. 2015-04-01. Archived from the original on 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  8. "Part of Navy Pier redo pushed back a year". Crain's Chicago Business. 2015-03-31. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  9. Valadez, Eloise Marie (2018-09-20). "New Welcome Pavilion opens at Navy Pier". nwitimes.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  10. "Peoples Gas underwriting Navy Pier's multimillion dollar welcome pavilion". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  11. "Navy Pier snags $5 million donation from Peoples Gas". Crain's Chicago Business. 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  12. Long, Zach (2020-06-30). "Navy Pier is moving forward with outdoor movie screenings and concerts this summer". Time Out Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  13. Orlinsky, Lori (2019-06-10). "8 free summer workout series for parents to try". Chicago Parent. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  14. "Navy Pier to light up lakefront with 300-drone light show, free ice cream birthday party". NBC Chicago. 2023-07-11. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  15. Marzano, Peter (2023-03-18). "Navy Pier Reveals Free Programming Lineup For Coming Months". NBC Chicago. Archived from the original on 2023-04-07. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  16. "Derrick Adams's unicorns are taking over Chicago". The Art Newspaper. 2023-04-10. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  17. "Chicago Hispanic Newspaper, Lawndale News, Hispanic Bilingual Newspapers, Su Noticiero Bilingue » Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks The Hero Within". Archived from the original on 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  18. "Taste of Chicago might move out of Grant Park this summer - CBS Chicago". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-03-07. Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  19. "Pixar Putt Mini Golf Now Open at Navy Pier in Chicago". NBC Chicago. 2022-05-31. Archived from the original on 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
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