A soaring marble column marks the hub of Logan Square, right above you. The Illinois Centennial Monument was dedicated in 1918 to mark a hundred years of Illinois statehood, designed by Henry Bacon, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial, and topped by an eagle. The column anchors one of the grand intersections of Chicago's boulevard system, a connected ring of wide, landscaped parkways laid out in the nineteenth century to link the city's great parks in an emerald necklace.
The relief carvings around the base depict Native Americans, explorers, farmers, and laborers shaping the state's story. Logan Square grew as a streetcar suburb of stately greystones and Norwegian and Polish families, and in recent decades has become one of the city's liveliest neighborhoods. From the base of the column, follow the broad boulevards radiating away; this generous green geometry is a Chicago invention worth more than a passing glance.