Then
Just before the Chicago Fire, Grant Park was completely underwater. A rail trestle acted as a breakwater. Soon, however, this void would serve a purpose no one could have imagined in one’s wildest nightmares: it would accept the rubble left by a fire that would destroy most of Chicago.
Photo Credit: Chicago History Museum

Now
Grant Park has become the glorious, green, front yard of Chicago, with Millennium Park on the north and the Museum Campus on the south. Remaining rail tracks have been placed below grade, and Michigan Avenue is spruced up as a suitable partner. It’s fair to say that this part of Chicago has never looked better.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Okrent