Client:

Chicago Park District

Engineer:

DuSable Engineers

Contractor:

All-Bry Construction

Consultant:

Chicago Public Art Group

Category:

Public Design

An artist and mother living in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, Susan Bernhardt wished for a playground for her kids in her own neighborhood. She even volunteered to head a committee of other creative types in the area interested in planning the outdoor facility. The group, along with the landscape architect and the Chicago Park District, ultimately joined forces to design "the best playground you can imagine."

Referencing Margate Playground’s proximity to Lake Michigan, the facility’s art works represent elements of the local ecology. A metalwork artist created a swarm of stainless-steel butterflies for the entry archway. Deeper into the playground, three giant bugs sculpted by the same artist appear to float and flutter on flexible poles high above a blue “pond” drawn onto the playground surface. The youngest kids have their own section of park: a quiet niche filled with limestone sculptures of a fish, turtle and others, all proportioned for toddler play. A color mural set into the retaining wall depicts underwater life as imagined by neighborhood children.

Margate Playground was designed to create a stimulating environment that fosters physical, social and dramatic play for children of all abilities. The result of this unique public-private collaboration exceeds the requirements of ADA guidelines - and the neighborhood fun quotient as well.