(Left) Though surrounded by traffic, people were enjoying the new “Gateway” plaza that opened on Friday in the median of State Street just south of Wacker Drive. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

June 11, 2013 – The Chicago Loop Alliance hopes its “people plaza” on North State Street will be the first of a series of reinvigorated city-owned spaces. The Gateway took four days to assemble and opened last Friday. With its canopied tables and chairs, flowerboxes, trees, and banners, the CLA describes the space as a “colorful place-making activation of a median in Chicago’s downtown Loop that invites visitors and residents to explore the vibrant business and cultural district.”

Part of a Chicago Department of Transportation program, The Gateway is the Chicago Loop Alliance’s first public plaza. Executive Director Michael Edwards says it represents the non-profit group’s “commitment to enriching the urban experience for the Loop’s many audiences.”

The CLA will manage the space, cleaning it each day through the end of September.

(Below) CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein (center) helps open The Gateway on June 7. At left is 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly. At right is Michael Edwards, executive director of Chicago Loop Alliance. Photo obtained from Office of Alderman Brendan Reilly.