Update on Art Institute addition

I published my story on the Art Institute's new wing ten days before the Chicago Tribune reported on it. But the Trib made up for it in quality with a nice front page article. There's a good illustration of the plans here.

Some of the details I didn't get quite right in my earlier blog entry. I had said that the pedestrian bridge would lead to the museum's top floor. Actually, it goes to the roof. But because the roof is covered by a canopy, it is difficult to tell from the architect's renderings that the roof level is open to the air.

I think the pedestrian bridge is a late addition to the design, and I don't think it has been approved yet. In my opinion, the design would work with or without the bridge. The plan-view illustration in the Tribune gave me my first look at the Millennium Park side of it, and I'm not sure it puts to rest all my concerns about how it fits in with the park.

One minor clarification... In my earlier entry, I had written that the original museum building was neoclassical in style. While technically correct, Beaux Arts is a more precise description. I won't lose sleep over the distinction, but I thought I'd pass on a little trivia you can use to impress your friends.