Illinois Centennial Monument

The Illinois Centennial Monument stands in the heart of Chicago's historic Logan Square Boulevards District. It was erected in 1918 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Illinois statehood. The monument consists of a 21-meter-tall (69-foot) Doric column of Tennessee marble, topped by an eagle. Its proportions are modeled on the columns of the Greek Parthenon. Henry Bacon, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial, designed the structure, while Evelyn Beatrice Longman created the reliefs at its base. These depict figures such as Daniel Boone, Hiawatha, and Ceres, as well as scenes of Native Americans, explorers, and workers that illustrate the state's transformation during its first century. You can see the monument in the middle of a plaza lined with 81 trees, which also holds a memorial plaque for fallen soldiers.