Northerly Island (also Northerly Island Park) is a man-made peninsula and park located on Chicago's Lake Michigan lakefront. Originally constructed in 1925, Northerly Island is the former site of the Century of Progress world's fair and later Meigs Field airport. It's now a recreational area - part of Chicago's Museum Campus - and the site of the Adler Planetarium, the Huntington Bank Pavilion (a semi-temporary concert venue), the Northerly Island Natural Area, the 12th Street Beach and numerous art installations. Originally constructed as an island, the peninsula is now connected to the lakefront by a causeway at the northern end carrying Solidarity Drive to the planetarium. Solidarity Drive is dominated by Neoclassical sculptures of Tadeusz Kościuszko, Karel Havlíček Borovský and Copernicus. History The initial plans that led to the construction of Northerly Island were inspired by the 1893 Columbian Exposition which saw the significant expansion of Jackson Park. Based on that success, in 1894 the South Park Commission proposed improvements to the lakefront from Jackson Park to Grant Park that led to an 1896 plan to connect the two parks with a new outer belt of parks enclosing a shoreline lagoon. Daniel Burnham's 1909 "Plan of Chicago" renewed the call for the creation of a chain of lakefront parks between Jackson Park and 12th Street. Northerly Island was the only lakefront structure to be built based on that Plan. Northerly Island forms the southern end of Chicago Harbor, and the eastern boundary of Burnham Harbor. As indicated by the color green on the original plan, the island was to be populated by trees and grass for the public enjoyment. Daniel Burnham died in 1912. By 1916, Edward H. Bennett, co-author of the Plan of Chicago, wrote that a lakefront location would be most suitable for an airport serving the central business district. By 1922, Chicago Mayor William Hale Thompson recommended locating the downtown airport at Northerly Island. Work on the island began in 1920 when Chicago voters approved a $20 million bond issue to create Northerly Island, with construction completed by 1925. A short time later in 1930, the Adler Planetarium was built; and in 1933–34 the island was at the center of festivities at the "Century of Progress" World's Fair. Taking part in the Century of Progress Exposition, 24 Italian Savoia-Marchetti S55X flying boats, under the command of General Italo Balbo, make the first transatlantic formation flight between Italy