Enjoy The Beauty, Peace, And Quiet Of The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool In Illinois
By Melissa Mahoney|Published July 27, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
These days, it’s almost a necessity to retreat to a quiet place in order to think and recharge without the distractions of everyday life. But it’s sometimes hard or impossible to find such a space, especially in a city. In Chicago, there’s a hidden oasis that lies within Lincoln Park. The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool provides a serene location for those who are looking to get a little bit of peace and quiet for a while.
Located at Fullerton Parkway at the north end of Lincoln Park Zoo, you can find the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool. Designed by Alfred Caldwell, this is a prime example of Prairie School landscape architecture in which natural landscape is revered.
The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool became a Chicago Landmark in 2002. In 2006, it was designated as a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Before it was the Lily Pool, this area of the park was known as the "Rookery" and was originally part of a Victorian garden built in the late 1800s. The garden once had tropical aquatic plants, including water lilies, but once this style of garden fell out of popularity, it was neglected and began to deteriorate.
Once Alfred Caldwell redesigned the garden, included a variety of plants found in the Midwest, and added several curvilinear elements, it was revived and turned into an oasis in the city once again.
Have you visited the tranquil Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Chicago, Illinois? If so, what was the experience like? Please tell us in the comments. For more information on the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, visit the Lincoln Park Conservancy website and follow the Facebook page.
If you’re looking for a place to get away for some peace and quiet for a weekend, consider visiting the town of Woodstock, which you can read more about in this post.
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