CHICAGO — Chicago is known for its skyline and lakefront but tucked away in Lincoln Park is a place that feels worlds apart from the city around it.

For years, the big wooden doors outside the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool have been closed as the historic sanctuary was being slowly brought back to life. It was a major undertaking to return one of Chicago’s hidden gems to its natural beauty.

The pool has been called a “sanctuary for the soul” but for years this prairie style masterpiece was lost to time, overgrown and forgotten.

Matt Freer is the Assistant Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Chicago Park District.

"This place opened actually in the late 1800s as a tropical lily conservation area,” he said. “It wasn't until Caldwell in the 1930s reimagined this space to b

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