A sophisticated adult playground built on the city's South Side in 1914 and razed just 15 years later, Midway Gardens represented a carefully arranged marriage of modern architectural design and old-world tradition. A distinctly American translation of the German concert garden, the elaborately decorated brick-and-concrete fantasyland included an indoor restaurant and dance hall; multi-tiered, outdoor summer garden and band shell; tavern; and private club. It was the toast of the town during its first two seasons, according to University of Illinois architectural historian Paul Kruty, who has resurrected the structure in his new book ìFrank Lloyd Wright and Midway Gardensî (U. of I. Press).
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