Joohee
Min
3 ACRES ON THE LAKE: DuSable Park Proposal Project
Nature has
a way of reviving and nurturing the deserted ground. DuSable Park is an
example of this case. The site has become a habitat for vegetation and
animals. The site was created through the natural process of soil deposit
by lake currents. The mounds on the site are from earth excavation. The
height of the mounds creates a feeling of isolation from highway traffic
and high-rise buildings that surrounds the site.
My proposal
seeks to reclaim these elements of the site in conjunction with creating
a space dedicated to the first non-native permanent settler of Chicago,
Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. The program of the proposal is an exhibition
space and the prairie field. The exhibition space will display memorabilia
related to DuSable and his time.
Though now
rare, prairie fields were once common in Midwest. To the Native Americans,
prairie fields were home and hunting ground for thousands of years. Native
Americans used prairie plants as medicine and food. Visitors would have
a chance to experience this forgotten American landscape.
In experiencing
the site, visitors would travel by a small boat on the waterway. From
a distance, the site would look as though the glass walls were separating
the mounds. As one nears the site, one sees that the ground is overgrown
with tall grasses. The walkway is lifted above the ground to give a sense
of sacred ground and to view the prairies from a different level. The
walkway leads to the threshold of a 10 x 10 glass room. This room gives
a moment alone to pause. One sees the sky, water, and trees through the
window openings. A stair leads down to the exhibition space. On each side
of a glass wall display of the miniature portrait models of DuSable’s
life and related objects such as farming tools, documents, letters, and
maps of the area would be on display.
Along the walkway, plates would provide name of the plants and describe how they were used by Native Americans. DuSable Park will become an educational ground for increased appreciation for nature habitat and the historical figure, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable.
Joohee
Min ( Landscape Architect)
jooheemin@hotmail.com