Lurie Garden will be closed to the public beginning next Monday and will remain shut through early July as crews carry out major repairs to the garden’s wooden boardwalk and its water feature. The closure will sideline the garden’s spring displays and the intimate path known as the Seam, where visitors often sit by the water, with managers saying the work is focused on safety and long-term preservation.
The garden’s own announcement says the project will begin on March 2 and continue into early July, with construction concentrated on the boardwalk and the shallow waterway beneath it. “For the safety of our visitors, the garden will remain closed to the public until the project is completed,” the notice states. The same announcement notes that repairs are being funded by the garden’s endowment along with support from the Millennium Park Foundation, according to Lurie Garden.
Why Crews Are Working on the Seam
The Seam is a diagonal wooden boardwalk that stretches over a narrow strip of water and divides the garden’s bright “Light Plate” from the shaded “Dark Plate.” Its layered mix of stone, wood and moving water is central to the garden’s design and is the primary focus of this renovation, according to the Millennium Park Foundation. The foundation explains that the Seam was created to echo Chicago’s evolution from marshland to park and to provide quiet seating right at the water’s edge.
What Visitors Will Miss
The garden’s announcement promises that, “Once restored, the Seam will again invite visitors to sit and dangle their feet in the cool water.” That small ritual has become a hallmark of Lurie Garden’s downtown appeal, and managers say crews will work carefully to protect planted areas while structural repairs move ahead. The notice frames the project as a restoration rather than a redesign, with an expected reopening in early July, as reported by WTTW.
Who Pays and Who Runs the Garden
Lurie Garden is managed and operated by the Millennium Park Foundation, which says horticultural maintenance is supported by an endowment from the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation. That endowment helps cover day-to-day upkeep and will also assist with the costs of the current project. While the garden is closed, other Millennium Park features will remain open to visitors, the foundation notes, per Millennium Park Foundation.
A Brief Design Primer
The garden’s planting approach is the hallmark of Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf, and Lurie Garden opened in July 2004 as part of Millennium Park’s early development. The site is roughly 2.5 acres, and its naturalistic “new perennial” style has made it influential among landscape designers and local gardeners, as reported by WTTW. Officials say the garden will reopen once work is complete in early July.
