Illinois Centennial Monument

Illinois Centennial Memorial Column, Logan Square Monument or Illinois Centennial Monument is a public monument in the Logan Square community area and the Chicago Landmark and National Register of Historic Places-listed Logan Square Boulevards Historic District.^[1]^[2] Built in 1918 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Illinois' statehood, the monument, designed by Henry Bacon, famed architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, is a single 70-foot (21 m) tall marble Doric column topped by an eagle, in reference to the Flag of Illinois.^[3]^[4] Reliefs surrounding the base depict figures of Native Americans, explorers, farmers and laborers intended to show the great changes experienced during the state's 1st century.^[5] Although Bacon designed the main column, Evelyn Beatrice Longman designed and sculpted the reliefs.^[6]

Illinois Centennial Memorial Column rests in the center of the square named for American Civil War General John A. Logan.

It is located at North Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Boulevard in the public square known as Logan Square. The monument is cased in Tennessee marble.^[7] The column is composed of 13 solid marble segments and is based on the same proportions and scale as the columns that make up the colonnade of the Parthenon in Greece.^[4] The column is opposed by a flagpole and a concrete plaque dedicated to American soldiers who died in World War I, World War II and the Korean War.^[5] The monument was funded by the Benjamin Ferguson Fund.^[8] Daniel Boone, Hiawatha and Ceres are among those depicted in the base.^[9]

Notes edit

^ "Logan Square Boulevards District". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
^ . Preservation Chicago. 2008. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
^ Becker, Lynn (August 10, 2007). "Between the Boulevards: An architectural tour". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Guerrero, Lucio (January 13, 2006). "Logan Square". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "System bars genuine glasnost". Chicago Sun-Times. June 5, 1988. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
^ Library of Congress, DN-0088786, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society
^ "Monuments". Early Chicago, Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
^ Hermann, Andrew (August 9, 1991). "Public statues are lumberman's legacy to city". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
^ Cunniff, Bill (August 28, 1998). "Logan Square walking tour scheduled to step off". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
^ Recktenwald, William (May 25, 1997). "Tree-Dimensional - Chicago Digs In For Record Planting Season". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 20, 2009.^{[dead link]}