The misrepresentation has gone too far. Daniel Burnham never said the lakefront should remain "forever open, clear, and free" even though he advanced the sentiment in many ways. Over on Cityscapes, Blair Kamin is calling out two of the five final Navy Pier Redesign teams for perpetuating the common misquote. He references the well-researched book "Forever Open, Clear, and Free: The Struggle for Chicago's Lakefront" by Lois Wille which shows those words first expressed by three canal builders who set aside a piece of Grant Park for public use in 1836. Amusingly, the quote was used against Burnham in court over his proposal to embed museum buildings in Grant Park. He lost the case. [Cityscapes]
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