An incident in which a bush was set on fire late Wednesday evening has scorched part of the moon bridge in Jackson Park’s Garden of the Phoenix, rendering it out of commission.

A Chicago Park District spokeswoman said that the bridge had already deteriorated with age and that the district is seeking repair or replacement costs. Until then, the bridge has been fenced off, though public access to the garden is not impacted. More information about the scope of the work and timeline will be available soon. 

Jackson Park Advisory Council President Louise McCurry said the bridge was installed in 1995. She claimed there have been several arson incidents in the garden in recent years; the Chicago Park District did not respond to requests for comment to confirm.

The Japanese garden, formerly named the Osaka Garden, is a remnant of Jackson Park's hosting of the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.