[Mr Downtown]

^I'm not following your argument, pilsenarch. Only the Harris Theater (and the de minimis Exelon Pavilions) are buildings that occupy what would otherwise be open space the public could enjoy. And I did severely criticize the Harris Theater, not only for violating the Montgomery Ward decision injunction (as it turns out, the city got property owner consents) but for the absurdity of spending a fortune to build a new theater for music and dance at the same time we were allowing the destruction of the acoustical masterpiece Medinah Temple.

What's becoming a disturbing pattern here is Mayor Emanuel using parks as a personal land bank: for the British School, for a new North Side (not named for Obama) College Prep High School, for the Lucas Museum, and now for the Obama Library. Chicago has plenty of vacant and underused land; hands off the parks!