Book traversal links for Lakefront south from Randolph Street ‹ Washington Street west to State Street Up State Street north from Madison Street (Second Perspective) › Then Now Photo credit: Chicago History Museum Photo credit: Alan Brunettin The site of Millennium Park and Grant Park was a vast rail yard in years gone by. Much of the Chicago lakefront was created on a landfill, some of it dating back to the rubble from the Great Fire.