Working with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) TGDA helped transform a northeastern part of Grant Park in downtown Chicago into Maggie Daley Park. The site was formerly home to the Richard J. Daley Bicentennial Plaza, which consisted of an underground parking garage along with recreational amenities such as tennis courts, an ice skating rink, picnic areas, and a small, underused playground. MVVA’s new design for this 26.2 acre park creates continuity between recreational elements, such as a skating ribbon and several distinct play areas through the use of topography and curvilinear paths for circulation and easy access.

As the local expert, TGDA has supported MVVA through the process of constructing this complicated, high-profile project. The firm has assisted with troubleshooting the structural challenges of building significant topographic features and locating essential utilities on top of a parking garage. We verified existing site conditions and helped complete soil investigations to determine soil amendment and reuse strategies. We also assisted with the demolition, storage, and finishing of existing honey locust trees that were repurposed to be used on site as an aesthetic element. Additionally, we facilitated the selection, sourcing and layout of woody and herbaceous on-site plantings.

Thorough coordination and communication has been key to this project due to the challenge of a rapid schedule and the design ingenuity and creative standards of the MVVA team. TGDA has risen to the challenge striving to make the MVVA design vision a reality through our construction expertise, research, local plant knowledge.