CHICAGO CARLESS in Chicago Tribune on Crown Fountain Cameras
(Photo: The City of Chicago has architecturally defaced Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain in the name of homeland security. What do you think about that? Credit: Looper.)
Our photoblogging walks just keep paying off. Last August, my walk through the new Macy’s on State Street with a camera and resulting blogpost led to the citywide scandal over Macy’s inventing street names on its store signage.
Last weekend’s photo walk with Devyn ended similarly. Walking through Millennium Park, D. and I were horrified to notice newly installed security cameras sitting directly atop Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain, turning the vast, video faces of Chicagoans into grinning Martians with pointy, black antennae sticking out of their heads.
Devyn snapped photos for his Looper blog. I blogged about the offending cameras here on Chicago Carless. And then Devyn emailed Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin.
And exactly three minutes later, Blair emailed us back.
By the end of the next hour, we were interviewed by the Trib. And today, the paper features the offending Crown Fountain cameras in a juicy, Devyn and Michael quote-laden, go give ‘em what-for Tribune article.
According to park managers quoted in today’s article, as many have guessed, the cameras were installed as part of a homeland-security project and put atop Crown Fountain because it was the easiest option. Permanent cameras will be placed atop a new pole to be installed east of the fountain. But not until next summer.
Lucky us. Chicago art (and park) lovers will be stuck with these ugly, inappropriate, frankly municipally embarrassing head stalks for the better part of the next year. I’m fairly certain about this one folks. In the annals of architectural defacement, a dishonorable yet all-too-healthily sized record of woe in the Second City, the Crown Fountain security cameras deserve a special entry all their own. What’s next, security cams atop the Bean?
Convenience is absolutely no excuse–but as an excuse, in this case it doesn’t, er, hold much water. Even in Chicago, it doesn’t take nine months to put up a pole.
The Crown Fountain security cameras are inappropriate and disgraceful. They should be taken down immediately.
(See Afternoon Update: The cameras are history!!!)
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On Friday, I opined about the deliberate lack of editorial direction on the Commentary page of the Chicago Sun-Times. My criticism stemmed from comments made by Sun-Times Opinion editor, Cheryl Reed, at a Publicity Club of Chicago luncheon last Wednesday. Now Reed is claiming she was misquoted. I don't think so.
Today, the Chicago Sun-Times Letters page published my response to the CTA's use of a grade-school contest to determine an appropriate name for the impending new route for the Cermak Branch of the Blue Line--a folly that countermanded the educated judgment of the CTA's own, well-paid planners and cartographers.
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Congratulations for geeting this picked up by Gapers Block yesterday, and the Tribune today. But why do you spell Kamin with an “e” instead of an “i”?
nice catch. nice mention in the trib!
Lawrence, I don’t know what you’re talking about
I read the Trib article before coming over here and thought the same thing–nine months to put up a pole. Right. Doesn’t Ritchie have a friend in the pole business who could use a little extra cash this holiday season?
Well, I’m not holding my breath. I won’t be too surprised if this “temporary” placement becomes permanent. Ugh.
Crown Fountain Cameras KAPUT!!!
Ah, the power of the blogosphere. As of 11:00 a.m. this morning, the City of Chicago has taken the security cameras off the top of Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain. And let me just say, WOO-HOO! Yes, folks, mere hours after…
NEW YORK TIMES Quotes Devyn Caldwell (Chicago’s “Looper”) on Crown Fountain Cameras
(Photo: The former Millennium Park Martians go national. Credit: Looper.) It’s official. I’m no longer the only half of this relationship who’s made it into the New York Times. Today, an article appears in the Times’ National section covering…