Public Land, Private Gain, Part 5

In this week's issue of Crain's Chicago Business, columnist Greg Hinz reports that the plan to move the Chicago Children's Museum from its current home on Navy Pier to the northern end of Grant Park--strongly backed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, who rammed the proposal through the Park District board and the City Council with all the subtlety of a mallet pounding a square peg into a round hole--is in trouble, if not outright dire straits.

I'd love to say that common sense is making a big comeback--that somebody in authority somewhere along the line realized that cramming the Children's Museum, a private entity, into a mostly underground facility on a small plot of public land was a monumentally bad idea and threw the plan into reverse.

That, however, is not the case. The monkey wrench in the works is more basic--and more daunting.

It's the economy, stupid.

Donations to the Museum have fallen while construction costs have risen. A Museum spokesperson insists that the plan is "moving forward." But it's difficult for any vehicle to move forward without fuel, and the fuel in this case--cold, hard cash--is lacking.

Maybe this will put an end to this ill-conceived, politically charged plan. I wouldn't count on it, though. Mayor Daley rarely gives up on what he wants, and rarely has to, with a compliant City Council and electorate to work with.

One can hope, though. One can hope.