Catcher in the Wheat_Chicago_Damen Silos Recreational Park_UIUC LA537 Studio

Catcher in the wheat Damen Silos Recreational Park

University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Department of Landscape Architecture LA-537 - Fall 2019 Post Apocalypse Park: Form and Flows Along the Chicago River Instructor: Craig Reschke - creschke@illinois.edu Student: Yingrong Lyu - ylyu12@illinois.edu Version: 20191211 Final Digital Work Submission All graphs are done by the author except (* ).

Project Narrative: Five Things That Identify Damen Silos

1. What is it?

A 15.4-acre site with abandoned grain elevator and silos on a peninsula.

3. When did it live?

1906-1977: The existing silos were built in 1906

by Santa Fe Railroad and abandoned after a severe explosion in 1977.

4. Who visit it?

Elevator Operators: In the past when the elevators were still in use, factory workers worked here to store up and ship grain. Some The site is called Damen Silos, or Santa Fe of them died in explosion, which is an important Elevator.

Concurrent Events: During its lifetime, Damen history of Damen Silos to be commemorated.

Silos witnessed a special period of human being 2. Where is it? in the level of economy, politics and culture.

Chicago Residents: In the future, Damen Silos It is in the industrial corridor of Chicago city, is projected to be a recreational park to attract by the South Branch of Chicago River, with For economy, the giant silos and grain elevators residents around. downtown across the river. shed a light on the golden time of Chicago, the transportation center of agricultural America Literature Fans: Meanwhile, visitors to Chicago in the 20th Century. At that time, the endless area will also take interest in this park, especially horizon was covered with golden wheat. for literature fans of American fictions.

5. How interesting it will be?

An recreational park to ...

Have fun! Skating, swimming, diving, fishing, sunbathing, rock climbing, shopping, basketball, labyrinth, amphitheater, and special programs for the windy city!

Learn some history! Step on the old rails. Jump on a cargo ship. Go up by the grain elevator.

And have a look at the graffiti on silos. Every place tells a story of industiral memory.

Feel connected! By meeting people in elaborately organized space, it is comfortable For politics, people experienced the World War That is because this land has a close relation to have a chat with friends or strangers. And by I (1914-1918) and the World War II (1939-1945). with Ernest Hemingway, who was born and hearing, gazing at, touching and even smelling rised in suburb Chicago and became a famous natural elements, we feel much closer to nature.

As for culture, it was a time when literature - representative of the Lost Generation literature. especially of the Lost Generation - resonated with millions of people who felt the same Celebrated writers of 1906-1977 (lifetime of loneliness, isolation and depression after Damen Silos) also include F. Scott Fitzgerald, gunfire, or in a highly-industrial society.

T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, J. D. Selinger and other artists we are familiar with today. By visualizing Overall, the Damen Silos is like a catcher in the literary images in the park, Damen Silos will be an wheat who has seen the city grow and change. ideal site to tangibly explore the masterpieces.

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Project Research CHICAGO’S INDUSTRIAL PLACE, 1947: *www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org

HOW EXPLOSION HAPPENS: Elevator EXPLOSION

What make this place unique?

As is shown on the right, major events of the silos’ lifetime are explosions during grain storage and transportation. The silos have witnessed the economical development of the windy city, Chicago, and the first and second World War, together with American literature of The Lost Generation.

Train

In this sense, what make the site unique are windy weather, agricultural and industrial memory and concurrent culture.

Silos

Ship

CONCURRENT CULTURE:

Between World War I & II The Lost Generation

Damen Silos Footprint

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Data from www.isws.illinois.edu, graph by the author.

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Nature: The Windy City Economy: Railway, 1939 Culture: Literary Images of The Lost Generation

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*Historical aerial from clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu

*Three wind maps from http://hint.fm/wind/

Site Map

Scale: 1:1,500

South Branch Chicago River

Park

Ideal Water Taxi Area 3'+ water depth

SAnTA FE GRAIn ElEvAToR

Existing Entrance Site Map - A Peninsula, 1:1,500

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Neighborhood Map

Scale: 1:15,000

Neighborhood Map - Manufacturing Industrial Corridor, 1:15,000

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catcher in the Wheat - a Preliminary research of santa fe grain elevators

City Map

by yingrong lyu, sePt.6th

city map 1:150,000

Scale: 1:150,00

lake MichigaN

NatioNal park

k

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City Map - Green Space System, 1:150,000

Regional Map

Scale: 1:5,000,000

Regional Map - Railway Center, 1:15,000,000

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Site Visits Summary Here and there/ present and before Contrasts are shown in photos taken in site visits: wild vegetation and the abandoned elevator, blooming flowers and the old rails, a broken machine and the prosperous Chicago city. They call for connection by landscape method.

At the same time, other basic information is also noted down during field trips, including useful materials, flora, fauna and exsting landscape.

A Post-Apocalypse Site

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Flowers Blooming by The Abandoned Railway

Metal

Heath Aster

Stones

Stones

Rubble

Gray Goldenrod

Bricks

New England Aster

Steels & Wood

Prairie Dropseed

Birds, Butterflies & Bees

Graffiti

Ducks

Materials and Features

Flora and Fauna

Downtown Chicago Across The River

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Site Section - A

Path

Theater

The section crosses: Transformers Amphitheater Damen Silos Catcher Platform Skaters’ Playground Rye Labyrinth Picnic Lawn Chicago River South Branch

Section Line

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Coffee

SW

Wind

NE

Wind Buffer

SW

Wind

NE

Wind Buffer

Scale: 1/32” = 1’-0”

Skate

Labyrinth

Bench on Slope

Camping

Bench in Labyrinth

Chicago River

Holes for Touch

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Site Section - B

Chicago River

“Green-light“ Boat Dock

The section crosses: “Green-light“ Boat Dock Chicago River South Branch “Rye“ Labyrinth Picnic Lawn “Call-me“ Bridge

Beach

Path

283’ to Damen Silos 19219’ to downtown Chicago 347’ to Canalport Riverwalk (the existing park)

Existing Linear Park - Canalport Riverwalk

Section Line

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While standing on the “Call-me“ Bridge

Scale: 1/32” = 1’-0”

Labyrinth Entrance

“Call-me” Brigde

Labyrinth Entrance

Existing Park

“Call-me“ Bridge - towards Damen Silos

Existing Linear Park

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Site Section - C

Chicago River

“Green-light“ Boat Dock

The section crosses: Water Taxi Stop Wind Corridor Climbing Wall Railroad Deck

Wind Corridor

Mirror Concrete Gravity sensoring LED panels

Section Line

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500 lbs

240 lbs

121 lbs

Existing weighing platform (for grains)

Gravity Sensoring Platform

Scale: 1/32” = 1’-0”

Climbing Wall

Gravity Sensoring Platform

Railroad Deck

Canal

Climbing Wall

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Site Section - 1

Chicago River

“Green-light“ Boat Dock

Wind Corridor

The section crosses: “Green-light” Boat Dock Wind Corridor “Catcher” Platform Skaters’ Playground Puddle Plaza Fishing Pier

E!“

TM BEA

“

Section Line

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Percussion instruments at the Wind Corridor

Scale: 1/32” = 1’-0”

Coffee

Skate

“Catcher“ Platform by the silos

Puddle Plaza

Memory Museum

A Slide for Children

Fishing

Duck Deck

Existing Fishing Facility

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Site Section - 2

S Damen Avenue

Park Entrance

Basketball Court

Pools

Flower Bed

The section crosses: Indoor Basketball Court Swimmers’ Zone Transformers Amphitheater Wind Chimes Market

Section Line

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The Zero-entry Swimming Pool and the Diving Pool

Scale: 1/32” = 1’-0”

W 29th Street

Weekly Market

Making the windy city tangible

Wind Chime

Existing Frames

Wind Chimes Market

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Axon

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Terrain

Scale: 1/32’’=1’0’’

Terrain and water flow

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Perspective #1

The Railroad

Wind Corridor

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Vegetation Scale Name Height(ft.) English London Planetree 66-98

Trees

40-60 40-50 30-50 Shrubs 6–15 5-10 3-5 Flowers/grasses 3-6 2 1.5-2 1-3

Latin Platanus × acerifolia Ginkgo biloba Magyar Ginkgo 'Magyar' Eastern Red- Juniperus cedar virginiana Lacebark Pinus Pine bungeana Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum Common Physocarpus Ninebark opulifolius Wild Black Ribes Currant americanum New England Aster novaeAster angliae Aster Heath Aster ericoides Gray Solidago Goldenrod nemoralis Prairie Sporobolus Dropseed heterolepis

Color in Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul.

Light requirment Soil Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Full sunPart shade

blue drupes white flowers

Yellow

✓

Moist, well-drained, wet

Yellow

✓

Moist, sandy, well-drained

✓

Alkaline, dry soil, moist, well-drained

✓

Moist, well-drained

Orange, Purple, Red

white flowers

Purple

✓ ✓

Pink , Purple White, Yellow Yellow Pink , Yellow , Green , Brown

✓

Acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist Acid, alkaline soil, moist, well-drained

✓

Moist

✓

Sand, loam, clay

✓

Dry, loam

✓

Sandy, rocky

✓

Sand, loam Plantation table: native, colorful in all seasons

Especially, the existing reeds are used for creating an image of “wheat“ and “rye“, which respectively represent the main goods that the grain elevators used to store, as well as the wish of the novel “The Catcher in the Rye“ back in the 20th Century.

Existing reeds

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Labyrinth clay paths

Intallation of acrylic by the paths

“What I would most like to do is stand on the edge of a cliff and save children playing in a rye field from falling.” (Holden Caulfield)

Holes on different elevations

Enjoy the labyrinth and touch the reeds!

Perspective #2

The Reeds

“Rye” Labyrinth

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Timelapse

Existing river

Water connected

Chic

ago

Rive

r Sou

th Br anch

Vegetation beds and hard platforms

Vegetation growing along the canal

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Mature Vegetation Overview

Perspective #3

Chicago River

“Call-me“ Bridge

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Room Axons

2 4 3 1

An amphitheater with silos as background.

Axons’ Locations

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1

Transformers Amphitheater

2

Experience the industrial history at the corridor between two giant buildings.

Wind Corridor

Room Axons

Learn 20th century’s industrial memory and graffiti art at the memory museum (a previous warehouse).

Sunny: A puddle place for fun

Rainy: Canals visualizing the run-off (Precipitation: 1-4’’ monthly)

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Puddle Plaza

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Observe and think about ducks as Holden Caufield (character in the 1951 novel “The Catcher in the Rye“) did.

Memory Museum

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Detailed Section #1

Scale: 1/4” = 1’-0”

Clay

Wooden Plank

1'7'' 0'0''

-6'5'' The Memory Museum by the Canal

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Detailed Section #2

Scale: 1/4” = 1’-0”

Reeds Acrylic

9'0'' Grass

6'3''

1'3'' 0'0''

The Labyrinth and the Skaters’ Playground

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Detailed Section #3

Scale: 1/4” = 1’-0”

Wooden Plank

0'0''

-7'2''

The Deck with A Railroad Underneath

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Construction Timelapse

Souvenir shop in the Memory Museum: Logo: C+W = Catcher in the Wheat “Take a break in the busy Chicago city right here over the wheat.”

Constuction

Souvenirs

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