Category Archives: Michigan Avenue
Chicago Landscapes in Autumn
Chicago’s civic landscapes attract people from all over the country. One of our landscape architects was out and about recently and took photos of how autumn was expressed this year within a few of the city’s wonderful designed landscapes. As this beautiful season comes to an end and our beloved… Read More >
Tulip Mania
Chicagoans know better than to rely on the proclamations of groundhogs. Each year it is the tulips on the Magnificent Mile that announce to a winter-worn city that spring in all its splendor, has finally arrived. Yet much like a Chicago spring, the blooms last only a few short weeks… Read More >
A Spring Like No Other on Michigan Avenue
I know this Spring is different from all other Springs, with five consecutive days at 80 degrees or higher here in Chicago alone, but nothing illustrates this to me quite as concretely as what’s happening on Michigan Avenue. Exactly one year ago, we posted a ‘Never Fear, Tulips are Nearly… Read More >
What Makes a Great Urban Street?
We recently had the opportunity to think about what makes a streetscape feel or be urban. As part of the exercise, several people from our office collected images of what they thought were landscape characteristics of a vibrant urban street and we started developing an ever evolving list: bold… Read More >
Michigan Avenue Medians: Decepticon-proof
If you can sit through it, you’ll get some great views of the Michigan Avenue planters during the final fight scene of the movie at the end of Transformers 3 (okay, so maybe we’re the only ones that would go to this movie just to see that…), which turned… Read More >
Michigan Avenue: The Garden In the Street is Blooming
As you may know, each year the staff at Hoerr Schaudt straps on our construction vests and heads off to Michigan Avenue to layout the summer annual installations we have become known for in the median planters. We just completed this year’s layout a few weeks ago and we’re… Read More >
Michigan Avenue: Tulips on the Magnificent Mile
THEY’RE HERE! Enough said – it was a long wait this year for spring in Chicago. The tulips on Michigan Avenue are designed to be vivid swaths of color that herald spring with a ‘bang.’ No pastels – this city needs something bold after its winters! The varieties are… Read More >
Michigan Avenue: Streetscape Growing
If you’ve looked quickly, you don’t see much at the moment in the Magnificent Mile’s medians. The sod that protects the planting beds through the winter is off and most of what meets the eye is soil. But look closer and you’ll be amazed by the growth of spring… Read More >
Michigan Avenue: Chicago’s Most Famous Streetscape
Believe it or not, we’re already well into one of the major events of our summer: planting the 2.3 miles of medians on Michigan Avenue, one of Chicago’s most visible horticultural attractions. We’ve designed each of the streetscape’s 55 medians, selected the plants, specified the quantities, and the contractor… Read More >