Balbo Drive

Most of the land in this area is Grant Park. Known as Chicago's front yard, the park was built to create public space along the lakefront and to act as a buffer between the busy downtown and the lake. In addition to flower gardens, open lawns, and trees, the park has plots of native prairie grasses and wildflowers that can absorb water and filter out pollutants. Grant Park is the site of popular food and music festivals and the home of numerous sculptures and large art installations. In the northwestern corner of the park sits the largest green roof in the world – covering 24.5 acres of rail yards and parking lots below. The area was renovated in 1998 and dubbed Millennium Park.