Previous Events
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 to Saturday, August 8, 2009
Read Around Chicago: Children's Summer Reading Club
Glen Ellyn Public Library
Glen Ellyn library card holders and students of all Glen Ellyn schools are invited to participate in the 2009 Summer Reading Club. Students in 5th Grade or Younger and students in 6th to 8th Grades keep track of the minutes they read or are read to by someone. Come in every week starting June 15 for a chance to win in special drawings. [MORE]
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 to Saturday, August 8, 2009
Make Big Reading Plans: Summer Reading Club for Adults and High School Students
Glen Ellyn Public Library
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Burnham's Plan of Chicago, plan to join the Adult Summer Reading Club. There will be prize drawings to anyone who registers.
Adults: Receive a map of Chicago and two Ravinia lawn tickets when you sign up at the Adult Services information desk. There will be weekly prize drawings and a Grand Prize basket filled with Chicago memorabilia. [MORE]
Saturday, August 1, 2009 8:30am to 2:00pm
Open Streets
Active Transportation Alliance
See what it’s like when streets are filled with people and the street becomes your playground. Open Streets--celebrates Chicago's boulevards that were part of the Burnham Plan--and will give friends and families the chance to enjoy the streets the way they want: biking, dancing, playing, walking and more!
The free event combines last year’s two Sunday Parkways event into one huge eight-mile event. Like last year, Open Streets will span from Logan Square to Little Village, passing through Humboldt Park, North Lawndale and Garfield Park along the way.
Saturday, August 1, 2009 10:00am to 3:00pm
Discovering Daniel Burnham in Chicago's Parks
Chicago Park District
Discover how Chicago’s parks influenced Daniel H. Burnham, and how Burnham influenced Chicago’s parks. Park historian Julia S. Bachrach guides this tour which reveals examples of Burnham’s works spanning a period of more than 30 years. You will learn about Burnham & Root’s work in Jackson and Washington Parks, the legacy of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and subsequent redesign of Jackson Park along with Frederick Law Olmsted, the Burnham & Co.
Saturday, August 1, 2009 noon
Chicago Wilderness Magazine: Special Burnham Edition
Chicago Wilderness
The Summer 2009 issue of Chicago Wilderness magazine features the Burnham Plan and its important connection to biodiversity conservation, and its enduring legacy to preserve the local nature which is so critical to our quality of life. [MORE]
Saturday, August 1, 2009 1:30pm
Burnham in Graceland: Friends, Family and Client Tour
Graceland Cemetery
This two-hour walk through Graceland Cemetery, including Burnham Island, features Daniel Burnham and his family as well as his work associates, prominent clients and personal friends. Burnham’s success and prominence is demonstrated by the large circle of people he influenced and with whom he associated. The tour features several sites not included in previous Graceland walking tours. This tour was developed as part of the Centennial Celebration for Burnham & Bennett's 1909 Plan of Chicago.
[MORE]
Sunday, August 2, 2009 2:00pm
The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City
Westchester Public Library
Westchester Public Library will host Carl Smith, author of The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City. The event will take place at the Westchester Library Service Center at 100 W. Indiana Avenue, Chesterton.
Smith will present an illustrated talk describing the fascinating history and central role Burnham's plan played in shaping Chicago and American city life. Copies of his book will be available for signing and for sale. Refreshments will be served.
[MORE]
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Chicago Visionaries: From Burnham to Today and Beyond
Chicago Public Library
Chicago today is as much on the brink of progress as the Chicago of 100 years ago. Join some of our city's most innovative thinkers in a discussion of how to keep Chicago vital and vibrant in the 21st Century. [MORE]
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 5:30pm
Talks with the Team - August
Burnham Pavilions
Talks with the Team is a series of free informal tours of, and talks about the Burnham Pavilions featuring the staff and professionals involved with the project. Learn directly from the insiders about the planning, design, construction, techniques, artistry and technology involved in making the Burnham Pavilions a reality. Each team member brings their own emphasis to the talk, and will share their unique perspective. August Team members include:
[MORE]
Wednesday, August 5, 2009 6:30pm to 9:00pm
KPL Movie Night at the Museum "Expo: Magic of the White City"
Kenosha Public Library
Expo – Magic of the White City brings the Chicago World’s Fair to life. Experience the world of 1893 through a cinematic visit to Chicago’s Columbian Exposition. Narrated by Gene Wilder, the film immerses viewers in one of the world’s biggest extravaganzas and one of the most unforgettable events in American history of which Daniel H. Burnham served as Director of Works. [MORE]
Friday, August 7, 2009 11:00am to Sunday, August 9, 2009 10:00pm
The Legacy of Daniel Burnham, Architect and City Planner
Society of Architectural Historians
This three-day Study Tour will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett's Plan of Chicago through an array of lectures, tours, and special evening events. The tour will highlight Burnham and the plan in a variety of different guises: imagined and realized, proposed and enacted, seen and unseen. [MORE]
Saturday, August 8, 2009 9:00am to 10:30am
Burnham By Boat
Wendella Boats
The Burnham Plan of 1909 launched Chicago into an era of unparalleled dreams fueled by the imagination of two great men, Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett. Their vision for the city resulted in the creation of Wacker Drive, the Michigan Avenue bridge, Northerly Island, Grant Park and much more. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Burnham Plan, Wendella Boats is offering an opportunity to learn about the life and legacy of these two men, with emphasis on Daniel Burnham. [MORE]
Saturday, August 8, 2009 10:00am to 2:30pm
Make Big Plans: Burnham Centennial- Chicago Neighborhood Tours
City of Chicago
Happy 100th, 1909 Plan of Chicago! Through a formal presentation at the Chicago Cultural Center, and Harold Washington Library's special exhibit, you'll grasp the genius that shaped city planning and Chicago history. Review Burnham and Bennett's pioneering ideas for local thoroughfares and railroad traffic. A rendezvous at Burnham's graveside makes a fitting epilogue.
Tour highlights: [MORE]
Saturday, August 8, 2009 10:30am to 12:30pm
White City Revisited
Chicago Architecture Foundation
Explore Jackson Park, site of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 of which Daniel Burnham served as Director of Works. The tour includes a pictorial recreation of the famous fair and examines how Frederick Law Olmsted transformed marshes and sand dunes into a beautifully landscaped park that is now on the National Register of Historic Places. We will also visit the restored Osaka Garden. [MORE]
Sunday, August 9, 2009 2:00pm
Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City
Arlington Heights Memorial Library
Join Carl Smith, Professor, Northwestern University for an illustrated talk, based on his prize-winning book on the Plan. Part of the Make BIg Plans exhibit region-wide program series, Smith will describe this document's fascinating history and explain its central role in shaping Chicago and American city life. [MORE]
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 10:00am
Stickney Water Reclamation Plant Tour
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
Go behind the scenes of one of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in the world! You’ll get to see the first pumping station built in 1930 and also take a tour of the new state-of-the-art facility built in 2007. Find out how this plant serves 2.38 million people over a 260-square mile area each and every day! [MORE]
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 noon to 1:00pm
Movers and Shakers of Chicagoland
Vernon Area Public Library District
Who are the movers and shakers that make Chicago - Chicago? See these larger than life personalities come alive in this narrated presentation from Hy Speck, discussing Daniel Burnham, Colonel McCormick, The Everleigh Sisters, Mayor Daly and more. Registration is required. [MORE]
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Experience the Plan of Chicago through Geocaching
Chicago Public Library
For teens ages fourteen-up, parents and educators. This hands-on experience allows participants to discover the history of Chicago while using 21st century tools. Join experienced Geocachers (treasure-hunters who use Global Positioning System devices) in a hunt to rediscover 1909 Chicago. Using handheld GPS units, participants will tour several historic spots that Daniel Burnham used to create the Plan of Chicago while hunting for clues to enhance this journey through time. Pre-registration required. [MORE]
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 7:00pm
Chicago by Gaslight
Elmhurst Public Library
Don’t miss this entertaining and informative presentation by author and historian Richard Lindberg, who tells incredible tales of yesteryear Chicago in words and pictures. He has written 14 books., all dealing with aspects of Chicago city history, politics, sports, ethnicity and urban crime. [MORE]
Thursday, August 13, 2009 9:00am to noon
Building for the Future: A Professional Development Workshop for Teachers
Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust
Preservation Trust education staff will join K-12 teachers in exploring the idea of engaging students with the built environment, both as it was done at the time of the Burnham Plan in 1909 through the use of the Wacker Manual, and as it is approached in schools and museums today. Several educators who have completed successful standards-based projects in architecture, design, urban planning and the built environment will share their ideas, activities, challenges, and achievements. Participants will then draw from this information and experience to develop a unit or le
Thursday, August 13, 2009 noon to 1:00pm
A New River Economy
Friends of the Chicago River
The third of the Always Current: Conversations on the Chicago River lecture series discusses the river’s significance to the city of Chicago today, its value as a natural and civic asset, and plans for riverside developments such as the new downtown Riverwalk. Presented by Cathy Hudzik Breitenbach, manager of riverfront development for the Chicago Park District. [MORE]
Thursday, August 13, 2009 6:00pm
Not a Drop to Spare: Oil and Water Scarcity in Popular Culture
Columbia College Chicago
Resource scarcity is a common feature in post-apocalyptic scenarios. How has scarcity of water or oil resources been depicted in films and television programs and what do these depictions tell us about our concerns about these resources? How do they reflect the times in which they were produced?
[MORE]
Sunday, August 16, 2009 10:30am to 1:30pm
Bike the Lakefront
Chicago Architecture Foundation
The centennial year of the 1909 Plan of Chicago is the perfect time to celebrate Daniel Burnham's vision by bicycling from Millennium Park to a nature park on Northerly Island. See how Burnham's ideas for protecting the lakefront as a cultural gathering point have been realized in many different ways. [MORE]
Monday, August 17, 2009 noon to 1:30pm
Sustainable Choices for a Greener Chicago Region
Metropolitan Planning Council
Sustainable Choices for a Greener Chicago Region, the third panel of the "Reinventing Public Investment" series, will explore how federal energy,water, and land use policies have shaped decisions and development in the Chicago region and beyond. [MORE]
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 7:00pm
Preserving our Green Space
Orland Park Public Library
How does the concept of Burnham's City Beautiful manifest itself in Chicago's Suburb's and specifically for Orland Park? Daniel Burnham's vision is a platform upon which we have built the evolution of conservation science in our region and in our own hometown. From within a world class city, Chicago, to the southwest suburb of Orland Park-from within Cook County reaching out throughout Chicago wilderness, join Pat Hayes from the Orland Park Grasslands as she discusses the impact preserving our green space can have to our community. [MORE]
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 5:30pm
Talks with the Team - August
Burnham Pavilions
Talks with the Team is a series of free informal tours of, and talks about the Burnham Pavilions featuring the staff and professionals involved with the project. Learn directly from the insiders about the planning, design, construction, techniques, artistry and technology involved in making the Burnham Pavilions a reality. Each team member brings their own emphasis to the talk, and will share their unique perspective. August Team members include:
[MORE]
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Adult Book Discussion - The Devil in the White City
Kenosha Public Library
Adult Book Discussion The Devil in the White City: murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America by Erik Larson
The spellbinding true story of two men who left their marks on Chicago in the late nineteenth century, Daniel H. Burnham, Director of Works for the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who lured women to his "World’s Fair Hotel." Signup begins July 20. Registration required. Call 262-564-6150 to register. [MORE]
Friday, August 21, 2009 noon to 12:30pm
Friday, August 21, 2009 12:30pm to 1:00pm
Buckingham Fountain Underground Tours
Chicago Park District
Have you ever wondered what it looks like beneath
Sunday, August 23, 2009 noon
Bike & Break for History
Joliet Area Historical Museum
Back in "the day" there were imaginative plans for the city of Joliet. We'll start at the Joliet Area Historical Museum and ride through Joliet while learning about the background of historic buildings and a Burnham-esque dream known as "The Bennett Plan." Bring your bikes, helmets, water and dress for the weather! The tour is recommended for ages 12 and older. [MORE]
Monday, August 24, 2009 8:45am to 4:00pm
Make Big Plans: Burnham Centennial Bus Tour
Lansing Public Library
Happy 100th, 1909 Plan of Chicago! Through a formal presentation at the Chicago Cultural Center, and Harold Washington Library’s special exhibit, you’ll grasp the genius that shaped city planning and Chicago history. Visit Northerly Island and Jackson, Burnham and Lincoln parks. Review Burnham and Bennett’s pioneering ideas for local thoroughfares and railroad traffic. A rendezvous at Burnham’s graveside at Graceland Cemetery makes a fitting epilogue. Tour Highlights • Chicago Cultural Center Presentation/Discussion
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Burnham's Plan of Chicago
Kenosha Public Library
Speaker Frank Landi will discuss Daniel Burnham’s designs for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition and how his plan of Chicago influenced the architecture of civic buildings throughout the US, including our own Simmons Library. For Adults. [MORE]
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 7:00pm
Film Screening: "H.H. Holmes: America's First Serial Killer"
Elmhurst Public Library
Made famous in the book The Devil In The White City, this documentary tells the true story behind America's first serial killer who terrorized Chicago during the turn-of-the-century World's Fair. It chronicles his grisly life from childhood, to the cross-country man hunt to find him, and finally to his incarceration and execution. [MORE]
Thursday, August 27, 2009 noon to 1:00pm
A Century of Change
Friends of the Chicago River
Dr. David Solzman returns to the Always Current: Conversations on the Chicago River lecture series to discuss the changes that have defined the Chicago River in the 20th Century. His examination starts with the river’s reversal and concludes with its ongoing renaissance as wildlife returns and people increasingly use the river for recreation. The lecture will be followed by a book signing for Dr. Solzman's The Chicago River: An Illustrated History and Guide to the River and Its Waterways, available at the museum. [MORE]
Thursday, August 27, 2009 7:00pm
City Beautiful: Celebrating the Burnham Plan Centennial
Wilmette Public Library
Join Art Historian Jeff Mishur as he explores the Burnham plan along with its origins and sources. Learn about the full scope of the 1909 plan and its relationship to European and American precedents and follow the transition from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition to the City Beautiful Movement so eloquently manifested in Burnham's plan for Chicago.
Friday, August 28, 2009 noon to 12:30pm
Friday, August 28, 2009 12:30pm to 1:00pm
Buckingham Fountain Underground Tours
Chicago Park District
Have you ever wondered what it looks like beneath
Sunday, August 30, 2009 2:00pm
Daniel Burnham Centennial Lakefront Vision Ride
Forever Free and Clear
Chicagoans can thank Burnham & Bennett’s Plan of Chicago for bequeathing the city a largely uncluttered lakefront. But unfortunately, today an 8-lane superhighway separates Chicago from a truly free and clear shoreline. A movement is growing to restore Burnham's vision by eliminating the pollution, dangers and unsightliness of Lake Shore Drive. [MORE]
August 2009
Exhibits
Bennett’s Plan of Elgin
Water = Life
B Like Burnham
Chicago Architecture Foundation
Connecting Industry:
South Shore Freight
In and After School
Burnham Plan History Fair Award
Burnham Plan Centennial Committee