The Nichols Bridgeway: More Than a Massive Downspout

Written By on May 18, 2009 in museums, Parks, The Loop, tourism

Over the weekend, two of the city’s newest tourist attractions opened: The Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing , which we talked about Thursday, and the attached Nichols Bridgeway.  “Bridgeway,” by the way, is not a word. The “bridgeway,” for lack of a better description, looks essentially an overgrown PVC drainage pipe drawing human runoff from the Art Institute and depositing it across Monroe...

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Status Update: The Nichols Bridgeway

Written By on February 27, 2009 in Construction, museums, The Loop, tourism

After yesterday’s mini-rant about the Art Institute’s Modern Wing, it seemed logical to follow that up with an update on the bridge that will link the museum with Millennium Park. The 620-foot-long bridge has a Renzo Piano pedigree and like most modern architecture is simple in design.  In fact, it’s a big white pipe cut in half.  A culvert, really.  Which I guess is symbolic or ironic or something since it’s...

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