47th St Mural

Underpasses are scary.
Just watch a thriller (or even better, read one) and you’ll know what I mean…
They are gray, gloomy, stinky and in Chicago — flooded every other day. (overstatement!!! for sure)
Well ladies and gentlemen, not in Hyde Park. The infamous South Side loves its underpasses and it shows!!! They are oh-​so-​pretty, artistic, mood-​lifting (but still not flood-​proof to my knowledge… working on it…) and grace the community from 57^th to 47^th street.
My absolute favorite is on 47^th, between Lake Park Avenue and Lake Shore Drive.
Dedicated last September the mural in a style called «bricolage» mosaic, using broken tile, mirrored tile, colored grout, and tiles with photo transfers. The lead designers were Carolyn Elaine (a Bronzeville resident) and John Pitman Weber. The themes were chosen at community meetings, and photographs were donated by community members. The photos pay tribute to both better-​known and unknown 47^th Street inhabitants (and esteemed guests, in the case of Ella Fitzgerald) and are in my opinion a very neat touch to the project.
But the most striking feature are the hundreds little pieces of mirror who gleam and shine and give the pass a cinematic and happy look every time you drive (walk???) by.
Gorgeous.
And another thing to admire in the South Side.