13 votesChicago, Illionis, USA
Milton Lee Olive Park
The park… memorializes an exceptional individual—Milton Lee Olive III—who was the first African American awarded the Medal of Honor in association with the Vietnam War.
Designed by noted landscape architect Dan Kiley in 1965, the park is an example of a modern approach to a functional landscape in an otherwise industrial space—a water purification plant. The five stepped, aerating circular fountains originally had majestic sprays as high as 100 feet. It now sits in a forlorn state characterized by cracked pavement and non-functioning (or low functioning) fountains as a result of poor maintenance and neglect. The Cultural Landscape Foundation added the park to its list of “Landslides”, or landscapes-at-risk, in 2013.
Submitted by Amber Grafft-Weiss