Batcolumn
.jpg?width=1600)
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)
Batcolumn is a historic site in Illinois, at a modelled elevation of 180 m. Mounded Landfill stands 259 m to the west-southwest, 25 miles off. The nearest named place is Heritage Green Park, a park 0.2 miles away. Historic Route 66 runs past it. 18 named summits stand within 25 miles.
The story
Batcolumn (or Bat Column) is a 101-foot-tall (31 m) outdoor sculpture in Chicago. Designed by Claes Oldenburg, it takes the shape of a baseball bat standing on its knob. It consists of gray-painted COR-TEN steel arranged into an open latticework structure. Batcolumn stands outside the Harold Washington Social Security Administration Building at 600 West Madison Street near downtown Chicago. The United States General Services Administration commissioned the sculpture, which was dedicated in 1977. Oldenburg originally designed the sculpture to be painted red, but he abandoned that idea to distinguish it from Chicago's Flamingo sculpture by Alexander Calder. Oldenburg instead had Batcolumn painted gray, which he also hoped would make the sculpture easier to see against the sky. A plaque on the sculpture reads, "Oldenburg selected the baseball bat as an emblem of Chicago's ambition and vigor. The sculpture's verticality echoes the city's dramatic skyline, while its form and scale cleverly allude to more traditional civic monuments, such as obelisks and memorial columns." The sculpture has been a source of controversy. On the day of its dedication, a number of people came to protest, holding signs saying "Tear it down" and "Expensive joke". However, Batcolumn has also had its defenders. A 2005 Chicago Tribune article named it one of the newspaper's favorite Chicago sculptures (along with Standing Lincoln and the lions outside the Art Institute of Chicago Building).
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1977.
Wikidata Q4868732, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
- On the Historic Route 66, National
- 25.9 mi off the Lincoln Highway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Des Plaines River · 12 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Heritage Green Park: 0.2 mi
- Park at 150 N Riverside: 0.3 mi
- The Green at 320: 0.3 mi
- Riverpoint: 0.4 mi
- Mary Bartelme Park: 0.4 mi
- Gráinne: 0.2 mi
- Oprah Winfrey Mural: 0.3 mi
- 100: 0.3 mi
- 150: 0.3 mi
- Constellation: 0.4 mi
- Haymarket Memorial: 0.2 mi
- Greektown Monument: 0.2 mi
- James R. Thompson: 0.3 mi
- Mary Bartelme: 0.4 mi
- Site of the Sauganash Hotel/Wigwam: 0.4 mi
- Museum of Broadcast Communications: 0.3 mi
- National Hellenic Museum: 0.4 mi
- Color Factory: 0.5 mi
- Money Museum: 0.6 mi
- Chicago Board of Trade Building Museum: 0.6 mi
- The Ledge: 0.4 mi
- SkyDeck Chicago Willis Tower: 0.4 mi
- Weather Bell: 0.6 mi
- Begin Route 66: 1.0 mi
- Wendella Tours - Dock 4: 1.0 mi
- Community Roots Demonstration Garden: 0.9 mi
- Skinner Park Tranquil Garden: 1.0 mi
- Loomis Street Community Garden: 1.0 mi
- Chicago Lights Urban Farm: 1.0 mi
- Sir Georg Solti Garden: 1.1 mi
- Picnic Grove B: 1.3 mi
- Picnic Grove C: 1.3 mi
- Lincoln Park - Grove 2: 2.4 mi
- Lincoln Park - Grove 3: 2.5 mi
- Lincoln Park - Grove 5: 2.5 mi
- Ping Tom Natural Area: 1.6 mi
- South Pond Natural Area: 2.5 mi
- McCormick Bird Sanctuary: 2.8 mi
- Webster Wildlife Site: 3.0 mi
- Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool: 3.0 mi
- Ohio Street Beach: 1.7 mi
- Oak Street Beach: 1.8 mi
- 12th Street Beach: 2.2 mi
- Margaret Burroughs Beach: 3.5 mi
- Humboldt Beach: 3.5 mi
- Soldier Field Sledding Hill: 2.2 mi
- Mount Bridgeport: 2.7 mi
- Horner Park Hill: 6.0 mi
- Players Hill: 6.4 mi
- Obama Center Sled Hill: 7.4 mi
- Rosemont Waterfall: 13.5 mi
- Sawmill Creek Waterfall: 20.6 mi
- Canyon Creek Cascade: 22.7 mi
- Canyon Creek Falls: 22.8 mi
- Rain Garden Springs: 7.6 mi
- Swallow Cliffs: 18.0 mi
- Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis: 21.1 mi
- Tedens: 21.4 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Batcolumn. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mounded Landfill | WSW 245° | 259 m | 24.7 mi |
| Mount Trashmore | NNW 342° | 204 m | 10.3 mi |
| Players Hill | W 266° | 187 m | 6.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:55 | 18:26 | 19:03 |
| June solstice | 05:16 | 19:48 | 20:30 |
| September equinox | 06:39 | 18:13 | 18:50 |
| December solstice | 07:16 | 15:38 | 16:23 |
Local time (America/Chicago).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 26 | 29 | 38 | 48 | 58 | 68 | 74 | 74 | 67 | 54 | 43 | 31 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Chicago Northerly IS, 3 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1619740970
Day trips start here
- Chicago · 1 mi
- Chicago/Loop · 1 mi
- Chicago/Near North · 1 mi
- Chicago/Near West Side · 1 mi
- Chicagoland · 1 mi
- Chicago/Near South · 2 mi
Take the scenic way to Batcolumn.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.