Mc Donald's Cycle Center - Critical Review

Critical Review

The Chicago Tribune's acclaimed architecture critic, Blair Kamin, gave the Cycle Center three stars (out of a possible four), described as a "gem" for the city and praised several elements of its detail. It has received accolades from numerous architecture and bicycling enthusiasts. Other Tribune writers have described the station as an "oasis for the urban cyclist" and reminiscent of "a hip health club". The Toronto Star described it similarly, saying that it is a "jewel-like glass building" with "amenities of an upscale health club"; it quoted a cycling advocate who said "It's not heaven, but it's close". According to The Plain Dealer, the Cycle Center is the United States' "best-known station", while The Oregonian describes it as "the ultimate in bicycle stations". The Boston Globe felt that the Cycle Center put Chicago over the top as the nation's most cycling-friendly city.

The Cycle Center avoided much of the controversy that beset most of Millennium Park by remaining open during the paid rental of a large portion of the park by Toyota on September 8, 2005. What proved more controversial were McDonald's claims that, since it is providing a healthier menu and fostering grade school physical education in an effort to help its customers improve their health, sponsoring bicycle and exercise activity in the park augments the company's other initiatives. Longtime writer for the Chicago Tribune and current Tribune health and fitness reporter, Julie Deardorff, described the move as a continuation of the '"McDonaldization" of America' and as somewhat "insidious" because the company is making itself more prominent as the social sentiment is to move away from fast food.

The Cycle Center has helped Chicago to become known as a cycling-friendly city. According to an article in The Washington Post based on selections by the Adventure Cycling Association and Bicycling Magazine, Chicago is one of the ten most cycling-friendly cities in the U.S. because of the Cycle Center and the Chicago Department of Transportation's Bicycle Program. The Cycle Center was featured in the Federal Transit Administration's April 2009 report to the United States Congress on a new generation of innovative transit systems entitled Reinventing Transit: American communities finding smarter, cleaner, faster transportation solutions. Cities as far away as Melbourne, Australia point to Chicago as an example of a city with cycling-friendly features because of the Cycle Center (they also used European cities such as Amsterdam and Lyon, France, as well as U.S. cities such as Davis, California and Portland, Oregon as examples). The Chicago Architecture Foundation awarded its 2004 Stein Ray & Harris Patron of the Year award in the governmental category to Millennium Park, specifically mentioning the bike station, Commissioner d'Escoto and the City of Chicago Department of Transportation, along with several other leaders responsible for the development of other park features.