Chicago Mayor Richard Daley presented his city?EUR??,,????'???s plan at a Sept. 20 press conference. The interest, as far as landscape architects are concerned, is that Washington Park, a historic landmark designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, is planned for the site of a temporary 95,000-seat stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field events. (The original plan was to build just south of Soldier Field with an expected $200 million price tag.) Following the Games, the temp. stadium would convert to a below-ground oval amphitheater with seating for 10,000, which would be used for track-and-field competitions and community events.

One of the mayor?EUR??,,????'???s selling points is that it will revitalize Washington Park, improve streets and transportation to the park, provide more parking, better lighting, new pedestrian and bicycle paths and revitalize the lagoon and wetlands.

Chicago?EUR??,,????'???s Friends of the Parks (FOTP) sees it differently. Erma Tranter, president of FOTP, doesn?EUR??,,????'???t think a sunken stadium fits in with the spirit of Olmsted?EUR??,,????'???s 1871 design of ponds, lagoons, islands and an open meadow. She told the Chicago Tribune the plan ?EUR??,,????'??would destroy the legacy of Olmsted in that park.?EUR??,,????'?? FOTP supports the Olympics in Chicago, but wants the stadium in an area that needs redevelopment.