Lurie Garden
| Lurie Garden | |
|---|---|
Historic Michigan Boulevard District and Randolph Street streetwalls from Lurie Garden | |
| Type | Public Garden |
| Location | Millennium Park Chicago, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°52′53″N 87°37′19″W / 41.88139°N 87.62194°W |
| Area | 5-acre (20,234 m2) (2.5 planted) |
| Created | July 16, 2004 |
| Operated by | City of Chicago |
| Visitors | Free Public |
| Status | Open year round |
| Parking | 2218 (Millennium Park parking garage) |
| Public transit access | CTA Brown Green Orange Pink Purple MED SSL |
Lurie Garden is a 2.5-acre (10,000 m2) garden located at the southern end of Millennium Park in the Loop area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Designed by GGN (Gustafson Guthrie Nichol), Piet Oudolf, and Robert Israel, it opened on July 16, 2004. The garden is a combination of perennials, bulbs, native prairie grasses, shrubs and trees. It is the featured nature component of the world's largest green roof. The garden cost $13.2 million and has a $10 million endowment for maintenance and upkeep. It was named after Ann Lurie, who donated the $10 million endowment. For visitors, the garden features guided walks, lectures, interactive demonstrations, family festivals and picnics.
The Garden is composed of two "plates" protected on two sides by large hedges. The dark plate depicts Chicago's history by presenting shade-loving plant material. The dark plate has a combination of trees that will provide a shade canopy for these plants when they fill in. The light plate, which includes no trees, represents the city's future with sun-loving perennials that thrive in the heat and the sun.