The Outback may be on the other side of the world, but if the Australian Ambassador to the Midwest (wait, that's a thing?) has his way, we could be honoring the Land Down Under right here in Chicago. DNAinfo reports the ambassador is pushing for Park No. 557, a non-descript riverfront patch near Touhy and Kedzie, to be renamed for Marion Mahoney Griffin, the first licensed female architect in Illinois, colleague of Frank Lloyd Wright, and co-designer of the city of Canberra. After winning an international design competition to envision the new Aussie capital with her husband in 1901, Griffin moved to Australia where their plan began implementation in 1913. Griffin returned to Rogers Park where she lived out her life. Consul-General Roger Price, the ambassador, has already met with Ald. Debra Silverstein about the renaming, and community sentiment will be weighed next. [DNAinfo]
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