The open, pedestrian waterfront located on the south bank of the main branch of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois has transformed the surrounding area in numerous ways. However, the Chicago Riverwalk has also helped to usher in an even bigger change for Chicago as a whole, and doing so underscores what it can mean for a monument to impact the identity of an entire city.
The Chicago Riverwalk’s 1.25-mile pedestrian pathway has a history that stretches back to redevelopments efforts at the turn of the 21st century, but the endeavor to utilize this space for the benefit of tourists and residents goes back even further. By cultivating the natural amenities that the space always contained, the Chicago Riverwalk has enabled countless ecological, recreational and economic benefits for the whole city.
Providing Residents and Visitors with Access to the Chicago River
Construction of the Riverwalk began in 2001 as an extension of the Wacker Drive reconstruction project. While the process to develop the Riverwalk is one that played out in several stages over the years, the intention of the Riverwalk Project was always to complement the new roadway and bring residents and visitors down to the river level. In 2002, The Chicago Park District completed a Chicago River Master plan that laid out strategies for improving open space on the river. In 2007 the Chicago Riverwalk Development Committee was formed to work with the city in developing the walkway, known by then as the Riverwalk.
Today, each area of the Riverwalk has its own nickname, distinct setting and activities. The Marina, Marina Plaza, Cove, River Theater, Water Plaza, Jetty and Riverbank might not be immediately recognizable to residents or tourists, but each of these sections focuses on everything from restaurants to river education ecology to a look at the three branches of the Chicago River. In doing so, these areas have created distinct experiences for everyone who comes down to the Riverwalk. They represent the continuity and variety that the space was always designed to feature.
Views from across the Riverwalk provide visitors with an incredible sense of the city. The plaza occupies land, reclaimed by the rebuilding and relocation of Wacker Drive, to create an urban park, with terraces and bench-lined ramps that gently transition from busy city streets to more quiet spaces near the river, providing a green refuge. This refuge has allowed the community to engage with and be embraced by the culture that is showcased all throughout the Chicago Riverwalk.
New and Notable Attractions Across the Riverwalk
The Chicago Riverwalk has been able to effectively tie into the culture of the city while also creating new and notable monuments for it. In doing so, it has provided visitors with numerous attractions that they can experience in a variety of ways.
Near one of the entrances to the Chicago Riverwalk is the Heald Square Monument, which is a bronze sculpture group that depicts General George Washington with two principal financiers of the American Revolution, Robert Morris and Haym Salomon. The piece is part of Statue Stories Chicago series, allowing visitors to experience the importance of this piece in a totally unique manner.
The Chicago Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Plaza, one of the largest in the nation outside of Washington, D.C., is located on the Riverwalk. itself Dedicated to veterans from all branches of the armed services that served in Vietnam, it replaced a former Vietnam Memorial located on Wacker Drive, showcasing how the Riverwalk is building on history and legacy that had already been established in the city. The names of more than 2,900 Illinois men who died in the Vietnam War are engraved in a wall.
Public art is on show throughout the pedestrian trail. Riverwalk Gateway by Ellen Lanyon is located beneath the Lake Shore Drive Bridge while the 10-foot cast aluminum Allium by Carolyn Otters is located between Columbus Drive and Lake Shore Drive.
The Riverwalk connects people to the riverfront in numerous ways, and doing so has opened up countless economic opportunities that businesses of all types along with the city itself have been able to utilize.
Cafés, Eateries, Tours and More
The Chicago Riverwalk distinct programs and forms for diverse experiences on the river ranging from dining opportunities to expansive public event programming to new amenities for human-powered craft. Countless events take place at establishments and on the Riverwalk itself all throughout the year.
Thanks to the redevelopment efforts at the Chicago Riverwalk, a number of cafés and eateries opened along the river. City Winery Chicago, Tiny Hatt and Lillie’s Park Grill are just a few of the establishments that are located along the Riverwalk. These restaurants offer a wide variety of options, seating and experiences, but all of them are able to thrive thanks to the activity and interest that the Riverwalk has generated.
The accessibility of the river has created countless economic opportunities for buisnesses that are directly tied to the water. Urban Kayaks provides kayak tours and rentals. Chicago Water Taxi allows participants to experience the numerous sights on the river, while Wendella Sightseeing provides Chicago’s Original Architecture Tour. Additionally or alternatively, Chicago’s First Lady Cruises allows participants to hear the stories behind the city’s most iconic buildings. Odyssey ‘s Chicago River Dinner Cruises provides viewers with incredible views of the city while they eat and drink. Visitors can also rent bikes on and near the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk itself has turned into a notable monument that the city of Chicago promotes and features in numerous ways. Whether it’s in their visitor’s guide or on maps of the city, the inclusion of the Riverwalk in such materials provides visitors with a specific destination that features numerous things for them to see and do.
The Chicago Riverwalk is managed by MB Real Estate, while in 2009, architectural firm Skidmore Owings & Merrill created a framework plan that outlined guidelines for the construction of a continuous walkway on the riverbanks. Just like Millennium Park, these public-private partnerships illustrate the possibilities that can be enabled thanks to these types of partnerships.
By providing such powerful and unique ways to access Chicago’s waterfront and architecture, the Chicago Riverwalk has created countless opportunities for residents and visitors to access and enjoy the river at almost every mile. Doing so has enabled a powerful legacy for the city itself.
Chicago’s “Second Lakefront”
Called the city’s ‘Second Lakefront’, the efforts to improve access to the riverfront have enabled activities of all types that never would have happened in the past. While other Riverwalks’ have served as the lifeblood of their communities for centuries, the activity taking place at the Chicago Riverwalk has made an even bigger impact on the city in a far shorter time.
By enabling such a notable impact, the Chicago Riverwalk has created a legacy of activity that has changed the present culture and economy of the city. Doing so will ensure it comes to have an even greater impact on the future of both.
