ABOUT THE LANDMARKS

BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON OFFICIAL PROGRAM

ABOUT THE LANDMARKS

As participants gather race morning, a feeling of tension and anxiety combined with excitement and drive will fill the air. After a year without the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, participants will once again line up on Columbus Drive awaiting the start of one of the greatest marathons in the world. As each participant prepares to take on the road ahead, we encourage everyone to pause, take in their environment and reflect on the miles that brought them to this moment.

Continue reading to learn more about the landmarks that will greet you at your start line.

LIONS THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

As participants, event staff and volunteers arrive in Chicago and head toward Grant Park for race weekend festivities, they will pass The Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue and see the two large, green lions that pose on the front steps of the museum. Over the years, the lions have become mascots for Chicago, being dressed in various sports jerseys and for different holidays. However, many don’t realize the lions date back to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, known as the World’s Fair; the Art Institute building was the only structure built outside of Jackson Park for the Fair, and one of the few that wasn’t destroyed, according to according to PBS station WTTW. The lions were installed in May 1894, and each lion weighs over two tons and has its own personality. The northern lion was designed with his mouth open and “on the prowl,” while the southern lion was “modeled in attitude of defiance.”

NAVY PIER FERRIS WHEEL

Similar to the lions, the iconic Ferris wheel that is recognizable in the Chicago skyline dates back to the World’s Fair. The first wheel was built in 1893, was 264 feet tall and built to rival the newly completed Eiffel Tower in Paris. In 1995, a new, smaller Ferris wheel was built on Navy Pier at 150 feet tall, inspired by the original at the World’s Fair. The ride could hold 240 passengers at a time and was the main attraction of Navy Pier until 2016, when a new one was built in honor of the pier’s 100th anniversary. The current Ferris wheel that stands at 600 E. Grand Avenue is 50 feet taller than the one it replaced and has enclosed, climatecontrolled gondolas so guests can enjoy rides year-round.

AON CENTER

The Aon Center stands out as one of the taller buildings in Chicago’s famous skyline. In fact, the commercial office at 200 East Randolph Street is the fourth-tallest building in Chicago, surpassed only by the Willis Tower, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and St. Regis Chicago. However, when it was built in 1973, it was the Standard Oil Building: the second tallest in Chicago and the world, earning its nickname “Big Stan.” It stands out in Chicago’s skyline with its distinct, vertical pinstripes; architects Perkins + Will used a relatively new, tube-based structural form for the tower. A similar form was also used in the Willis (Sears) Tower, under construction at the same time.

BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN

After crossing the Bank of America Chicago Marathon finish line, participants will continue down Columbus and pass by Buckingham Fountain, which is considered one of the finest ornamental fountains in America, according to the Chicago Park District. Siblings Kate Sturges Buckingham and Clarence Buckingham were art collectors in the Chicagoland area in the late 1800s through the early 1910s. When Clarence passed in 1913, Kate decided to fund the construction of the fountain in his memory. She requested the fountain to emulate a soft moonlight, and she worked with technicians to find the perfect blend of color and light. The fountain has three pumps with enough horsepower for more than 14,000 gallons of water per minute combined. It also has 133 jets and can hold 1.5 million gallons of water.

The city’s central business district, and many of its iconic tourist attractions, are all located within walking, running or biking distance of the Chicago Marathon’s start and finish in Grant Park.

Best places to run: This is the midpoint of the Chicago Lakefront Trail; you can head either north for more crowds and beaches, or south in search of solitude and natural landscapes. If you start near Grant Park and follow the path in a circle around the Shedd Aquarium, you can log a mile-and-a-half loop that includes one of the most breathtaking views of the skyline—a favorite of November Project’s Kaitlyn Kooyers.

LOCAL ARTIST HIGHLIGHT: EMMA COOK

Emma Cook is the artist behind this year’s campaign design and has been the graphic designer for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and other Chicago Event Management races since 2015. However, she has been interested in art since she was little. When her mother recognized her talent and passion, she signed Emma up for art classes.

“I lucked out; I had a really cool teacher who was a secondgeneration impressionist artist who taught me from middle school through high school. She trained me classically and inspired me to study graphic design and art at Loyola,” Emma says.

Like many artists, the last year has given Emma more time to explore her passion and experiment with new techniques. Currently, she’s interested in ink drawing and digital art, and has been playing with color and texture in those forms.

“I derive a lot from nature and people, women especially. The Art Nouveau era in the early 20th century and the late 19th century is really my inspiration right now,” she adds. When designing the look and feel for this year’s campaign, Emma wanted to play off this technique and create something that was a combination of design and illustration. While she wanted the landmarks to be recognizable, she also wanted them to be interesting and accessible.

“I got back into drawing during COVID; I realized I hadn’t been practicing for a long time and I want to help people create unique brands using illustration.”

Check out Emma’s other work by following her on Instagram at @emmaecook_art.