Lake Shore Drive

Photo courtesy or Illinois Bureau of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Lake Shore Drive is a popular route for getting from the northern part of the city and northern suburbs in to the city. This scenic route rides is an expressway running parallel with and alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Except for the portion north of Foster Avenue , Lake Shore Drive is designated as part of U.S. Highway 41. The idea for South Lake Shore Drive and its picturesque parks goes back to the late 1800s.

The downtown part originally opened as Leif Ericson Drive in 1937 (and was also called Field Boulevard); it was renamed Lake Shore Drive in 1946.It was part of the Chicago Plan of 1909, created by Daniel Burnham, a Chicago architect and city planner. The plan, often referred to as the "Burnham Plan," plotted streets, boulevards, parks, and other green spaces in a grid-like layout throughout the city.

Since Burnham's death in 1912, much of his vision has become reality. The results of his blueprint are most recognizable along the lakefront and the adjoining parks. He envisioned a shoreline for the people...one with many trees, walking paths, lagoons, and beaches...linked by a continuous linear park connecting Grant Park and Jackson Park. During construction in 1927, the link was officially named Burnham Park.

Burnham Park is located along Lake Michigan, stretching from the south end of Grant Park at Roosevelt Road to 56th Street, including Promontory Point. South Lake Shore Drive runs Burnham Park's entire length and continues through Jackson Park to Marquette Drive (67th Street).

Long before the automobile, part of the road that is now South Lake Shore Drive was originally used for horse-drawn carriages through Jackson Park. In 1930, with the completion of the Burnham Park construction, South Lake Shore Drive was opened between Grant Park and Jackson Park. The two northbound lanes were named after Leif Eriksen and the two southbound lanes after Christopher Columbus. In 1955, South Lake Shore Drive was reconstructed further west from Lake Michigan, preserving the lakeshore's natural beauty.

South Lake Shore Drive's two northbound lanes were named after Leif Eriksen.

Residents and visitors can find several of Chicago's finest cultural institutions in Burnham and Jackson parks. There's the beautiful Museum Campus: the Field Museum of Natural History; the John Shedd Aquarium; and the Adler Planetarium. The 598-acre Burnham Park also contains Soldier Field and McCormick Place-on-the-Lake, Chicago's convention center that hosts more than four million people per year.

Further south, The Museum of Science and Industry anchors the northern entrance to the 542-acre Jackson Park. In 1881, the park was officially named in honor of Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States.

Jackson Park has many wonderful features, including lagoons, harbors, walking paths, and the Chicago Park District's only 18-hole golf course in its 542 acres. In 1997, the course's golf shelter was named for Cecil Partee, who was one of Chicago's most respected politicians and avid golfers.

Jackson Park Pavillion.

There's also the Jackson Park Pavilion (63rd Street Beach House), which was built in 1915 and reconstructed in 1999. It has an interactive fountain that simulates the motion of a carousel with lights, music, and rotating water arches reaching 10 feet in height.

The Animal Bridge.

One eye-catching highlight is the Paul H. Douglas Nature Sanctuary shelter, located on Wooded Island. It is home to more than 300 species of birds. In another area, park-goers will find The Osaka Garden featuring a waterfall, the Moon Bridge, traditional Japanese plantings, and circular paths. It remains a symbol of Chicago's past and its current connection with its Sister City Osaka, Japan.

In the early part of the 20th Century, city dwellers used Jackson Park to relax and enjoy the natural beauty of the lakeshore, as well as for outdoor recreation. By 1903, the park's athletic facilities consisted of two golf courses, twenty-two tennis courts, a baseball diamond, and two football fields. The Animal Bridge, a wonder of gargoyle-like structures depicting such water creatures as hippopotami and rhinoceroses, was built in 1904. A smaller-scale gilded bronze replica of the famous Exposition statue of The Republic was erected on Hayes Drive in 1918. In 1972, Jackson Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chicago Department of Transportation