Editor's Note: This article was originally published in May. On June 13, 2024, Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs informed WBBM Newsradio that the Bean, which is officially known as "Cloud Gate," is expected to reopen before the end of June.
CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The City of Chicago promised a spring 2024 reopening of the Cloud Gate — more commonly known as the Bean — but as a surprise to many tourists, and some locals, the sculpture is still under construction.
“We were planning on taking some pictures around the Bean,” said one of the many people who ventured out to the Bean on Monday. “My friend here is a photographer, but now that we're here, we're kind of taking pictures from a distance.”
Tourists at the Bean have been getting creative with their picture taking: standing atop benches and barriers, as well as parents making their kids weave their hands between the fences to snap what little is visible of the famous sculpture.
City officials have said the construction will go toward repairs and accessibility upgrades.
As spring drags on, some Chicago residents were shifting their expectations to simply hoping that the work on the Bean would be finished by the end of the summer.
In response to WBBM's request for comment, the city said the Bean will be completed “in the coming weeks.”
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