October 19, 1890 – In an editorial the Chicago Daily Tribune takes on the
Illinois Central Railroad over its use of lakefront property. As the city prepares for “its grand building
which is to house art treasures” [Chicago
Daily Tribune, October 19, 1890] the battle over lakefront property, long
occupied by the railroad, becomes more and more heated. The paper declares, “When the time comes for
filling the submerged lands out to the dock line and making a park for the
benefit of the city and State the Illinois Central should be required to do the
work and foot the bill, and it need not cost Chicago a cent.” At this point the Illinois Central operated
on a trestle built above the lake, running parallel to Michigan Avenue. The paper’s argument is to let the railroad
fill in the space between the trestle and dry land, create new land east of the
trestle, and fill in the space between the existing tracks and the land to the
west. It says of the arrangement, “If a
fair arrangement were made between the road and the city the latter would get
much-needed room for new tracks, depots, warehouses, and elevators. Its receipts from leases and from its regular
business would be increased. The State
would be a gainer, for its 7 per cent on the gross income of the road would be
larger. Chicago would be a gainer, for
it would have on the front of the city a fine park two miles long. The Art Building would look all the handsomer
for the broad open space to the east of it.
By raising the surface of the park a little above street grade and
depressing the tracks on the new right of way a few feet only the tops of the
cars and engines could be seen from Michigan avenue and the esthetes would
rejoice.” The trick is to get the
railroad to find the $5,000,000 and the civic generosity to agree to the plan. The above photo shows the Illinois Central lakefront trestle at the right and the lagoon to the west, somewhat north of where today's Art Institute stands.
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