Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Park District leadership announced the beginning of renovations for an outdoor event space at the DuSable Museum of African American History along the eastern edge of the Roundhouse building. The site will be completed in time for the Chicago Architectural Biennial in September 2017.
“This new outdoor event space at the DuSable Museum will be a unique location to celebrate special occasions in Washington Park,” said Mayor Emanuel. “As the nation’s oldest African American Museum, DuSable is the ideal place for patrons to come together.”
The outdoor space will be approximately 15,000 square feet along the eastern edge of the Roundhouse building. Plans for the site, which is currently an asphalt lot, will include rebuilding the stairs at the Roundhouse basement, installing permeable pavers, landscaping, and building ornamental fencing along the south border.
Patrons can enter the space from 57th Drive along the north and Cottage Grove on the south eastern edge. As part of this project, truck access will be routed to the Cottage Grove.
The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) launches in September 2017 and will align with EXPO Chicago, Navy Pier’s annual art and design convention. CAB will feature 141 participants from 20 countries at the Chicago Cultural Center and neighborhood anchor sites around Chicago. They include the Beverly Arts Center in the Beverly community, the DePaul Art Museum in Lincoln Park, the DuSable Museum of African American History in Washington Park, the Hyde Park Art Center in Hyde Park, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen, and the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Humboldt Park.
Funding will be provided by the City of Chicago and the Chicago Park District.
This is part of Building on Burnham, the Mayor’s comprehensive plan to invest in the Lakefront, the Chicago River, natural areas and recreational opportunities in neighborhoods across the city. The Mayor began the successful expansion of Chicago’s park system in his first mayoral term, which has already added 750 acres of new parkland, 327 new playgrounds and more than $800 million in capital investment from neighborhoods and private sources.
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