The Bean still closed for repairs
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Visitors to The Bean are forced to adapt to get a good photo. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
The shiny tourist attraction officially known as Cloud Gate remains closed for repairs.
Why it matters: Anish Kapoor's stainless steel "gate" to the city — better known as The Bean — is an iconic symbol of Chicago where tourists and locals love to snap photos of their reflection or capture the curved mirroring of the skyline.
- Visiting the popular Midwest tourist attraction only to be blocked by barricades can be a huge disappointment, especially for first-timers.
Catch up fast: Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Millennium Park Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the park, announced last August that The Bean would close for repairs and reopen by spring.
- The city aimed to repair the pavers and pavilion around the structure for the 20th Anniversary of Millennium Park celebration scheduled for next month.
Reality check: We're well into June and a little more than a month out from the anniversary, and it's still closed.
What they're saying: "Weather permitting, we expect to reopen the plaza to the public before the end of the month," a DCASE spokesperson tells Axios.
- The construction included new stairs, accessible ramps, paver replacement and a waterproofing system.
- Cost of the work was just over $7 million, the spokesperson says.
By the numbers: The Bean is 33 feet high — with a 12-foot arch — and 42 feet wide and weighs 110 tons.
- It's made up of 168 stainless steel plates stitched together.
- It cost $23 million to build.
- DCASE estimates annual attendance to Millennium Park is 20 million, so The Bean is featured in billions of selfies, we're assuming.
Flashback: Millennium Park was the dream of Mayor Richard M. Daley. As the story goes, Daley looked out the window at his dentist's office on Michigan Avenue, was displeased with the parked cars and railroad tracks that were there and said, "Let's cover it with a park."
- Millennium Park opened July 16, 2004, and cost $490 million to build through a mix of private donations, bonds and tax dollars.
- Cloud Gate is considered a centerpiece of the park and one of the most famous public art works in the world.
What's next: The schedule includes performances at The Bean, including a giant Eli's Cheesecake.
- The Millennium Park 20th anniversary celebration is July 18 and includes performances by Fruko y Sus Tesos, the popular Latin music group from Colombia; Common; and the Grant Park Orchestra.