DuSable Park, Chicago
Encyclopedia
DuSable Park is an urban park
of 3.24 acres (13,111.8 m²) in Chicago
, Illinois
currently awaiting redevelopment
. It was originally announced in 1987 by then Mayor
Harold Washington
. The park is to be named after Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the first non-native settler
of Chicago.
and southwest of Navy Pier
with Lake Michigan
to its east. To its north would be the Ogden Slip and to its south would be the Chicago River
. The cancelled Chicago Spire was under construction just west of DuSable Park.
for the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, lake currents were affected and soil was deposited at the area now known as DuSable Park. In 1857 the State of Illinois sold 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), including the site later to be known as DuSable Park, to the Chicago Dock and Canal Trust. In 1893 the company dug out the Ogden Slip to allow boats to pull cargo from railroads at North Pier and the DuSable Park site was filled in by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
. In 1948 the Chicago Plan Commission passed a resolution excluding use of lakefront property to only recreation or for harbor or terminal facilities for passenger and freight vessels. In 1964 the Chicago Dock and Canal trust leased the land to the developers of the Lake Point Tower
. Later, Chicago Dock and Canal Trust sold the land south of the tower to a division of Centex
called Centex Homes with an option to build additional towers on the site that is now DuSable Park.
's administration enacted the Lakefront Protection Ordinance which forbid the land east of Lake Shore Drive to be developed. Centex filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago after the city purchased the land. Eventually Centex Homes dropped the option to build on DuSable Park. The Chicago Dock and Canal Trust kept the option to build but agreed not to build on the site. In 1987 Mayor Harold Washington dedicated the parcel as "DuSable Park" in honor of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the first known settler of Chicago. The Chicago Park District
took ownership of the land at DuSable Park in 1988 via a quit claim deed. Eight years later Keer-McGee and River East L.L.C were named as companies responsible for investigating and cleaning up suspected radioactive contamination at DuSable Park. The next year, MCL Companies absorbed the holdings to Chicago Dock and Canal Trust of DuSable Park. MCL Companies then gave the land to the Chicago Park District and agreed to pay $600,000 toward its development. In July 2000 the Chicago Park District announced it was planning to lease the land to another developer to build a parking lot on the site. Following public outcry and the formation of the DuSable Park Coalition, the Chicago Park District indefinitely postponed the parking lot plan. Since that time two public request for proposal
s were sent out on the topic of developing the property in 2001 and 2004. Each of those public invitations ended in stalemates. The Art Institute of Chicago
tapped Martin Puryear
to design a statue of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable which will be erected at DuSable Harbor, directly across the river.
reported that the project may be going forward with a compromise on the design being reached, but no further financial assistance was promised. In March 2007 Shelbourne Development, the new development company which renamed the adjancent project Chicago Spire, offered $6 million to finish the development of DuSable Park. In early May of the same year, that offer jumped to $9.6 million. Shelbourne offered their own design of the park which included a northbound ramp onto Lake Shore Drive for the adjacent Chicago Spire. To appease citizens and members of the DuSable Park Coalition, Shelbourne Development redesigned the northbound ramp to fit under Lake Shore Drive and use less park space.
The Chicago Spire was later cancelled in early 2010, due to major setbacks.
of the land is in need of repair which may cost up to $5.7 million. In addition, soil tests performed at the location of DuSable Park in December 2000 showed contamination of radioactive
thorium
. From 1904 through 1936, the Lindsay Light Company processed ore
s which contained thorium to manufacture thorium impregnated gas mantle
s. It was suspected that after the plant closed, contaminated soil was dumped on the location of the proposed park. In March 2003, the Chicago Park District stated that the thorium clean-up on that land was incomplete. It has been reported that Shelbourne Development will soon be taking soil samples to determine the severity of the radioactive contamination.
Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
of 3.24 acres (13,111.8 m²) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
currently awaiting redevelopment
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
. It was originally announced in 1987 by then Mayor
Mayor of Chicago
The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States. He or she is charged with directing city departments and agencies, and with the advice and consent of the Chicago City Council, appoints department and agency leaders.-Appointment...
Harold Washington
Harold Washington
Harold Lee Washington was an American lawyer and politician who became the first African-American Mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death in 1987.- Early years and military service :...
. The park is to be named after Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the first non-native settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
of Chicago.
Location
The park would be located directly east of North Lake Shore DriveLake Shore Drive
Lake Shore Drive is a mostly freeway-standard expressway running parallel with and alongside the shoreline of Lake Michigan through Chicago, Illinois, USA. Except for the portion north of Foster Avenue , Lake Shore Drive is designated as part of U.S...
and southwest of Navy Pier
Navy Pier
Navy Pier is a long pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. It is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area. The pier was built in 1916 at a cost of $4.5 million, equivalent to $ today. It was a part of the Plan of Chicago developed by architect and...
with Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
to its east. To its north would be the Ogden Slip and to its south would be the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
. The cancelled Chicago Spire was under construction just west of DuSable Park.
Formation
Following the construction of the original jettyJetty
A jetty is any of a variety of structures used in river, dock, and maritime works that are generally carried out in pairs from river banks, or in continuation of river channels at their outlets into deep water; or out into docks, and outside their entrances; or for forming basins along the...
for the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, lake currents were affected and soil was deposited at the area now known as DuSable Park. In 1857 the State of Illinois sold 40 acres (161,874.4 m²), including the site later to be known as DuSable Park, to the Chicago Dock and Canal Trust. In 1893 the company dug out the Ogden Slip to allow boats to pull cargo from railroads at North Pier and the DuSable Park site was filled in by the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. In 1948 the Chicago Plan Commission passed a resolution excluding use of lakefront property to only recreation or for harbor or terminal facilities for passenger and freight vessels. In 1964 the Chicago Dock and Canal trust leased the land to the developers of the Lake Point Tower
Lake Point Tower
Lake Point Tower is a high-rise residential building located on a promontory of the Lake Michigan lakefront in downtown Chicago, just north of the Chicago River at 505 North Lake Shore Drive. It is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area...
. Later, Chicago Dock and Canal Trust sold the land south of the tower to a division of Centex
Centex
Centex Corporation began as a Dallas, Texas based home builder in 1950.-Division:*Centex Destination Properties*Centex Homes*Centex Insurance*Centex Title*CTX Mortgage*Fox & Jacobs Homes-External links:****...
called Centex Homes with an option to build additional towers on the site that is now DuSable Park.
Becoming DuSable Park
In an effort to fight possible development, Mayor Richard J. DaleyRichard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
's administration enacted the Lakefront Protection Ordinance which forbid the land east of Lake Shore Drive to be developed. Centex filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago after the city purchased the land. Eventually Centex Homes dropped the option to build on DuSable Park. The Chicago Dock and Canal Trust kept the option to build but agreed not to build on the site. In 1987 Mayor Harold Washington dedicated the parcel as "DuSable Park" in honor of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the first known settler of Chicago. The Chicago Park District
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is the oldest and largest park district in the U.S.A, with a $385 million annual budget. It has the distinction of spending the most per capita on its parks, even more than Boston in terms of park expenses per capita...
took ownership of the land at DuSable Park in 1988 via a quit claim deed. Eight years later Keer-McGee and River East L.L.C were named as companies responsible for investigating and cleaning up suspected radioactive contamination at DuSable Park. The next year, MCL Companies absorbed the holdings to Chicago Dock and Canal Trust of DuSable Park. MCL Companies then gave the land to the Chicago Park District and agreed to pay $600,000 toward its development. In July 2000 the Chicago Park District announced it was planning to lease the land to another developer to build a parking lot on the site. Following public outcry and the formation of the DuSable Park Coalition, the Chicago Park District indefinitely postponed the parking lot plan. Since that time two public request for proposal
Request for Proposal
A request for proposal is issued at an early stage in a procurement process, where an invitation is presented for suppliers, often through a bidding process, to submit a proposal on a specific commodity or service. The RFP process brings structure to the procurement decision and is meant to...
s were sent out on the topic of developing the property in 2001 and 2004. Each of those public invitations ended in stalemates. The Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
tapped Martin Puryear
Martin Puryear
Martin Puryear is an African American sculptor. He works in media including wood, stone, tar, and wire, and his work is a union of minimalism and traditional crafts.-Life:...
to design a statue of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable which will be erected at DuSable Harbor, directly across the river.
A new DuSable Park
In July 2005 Christopher Carley of the Fordham Company announced a new development project called the Fordham Spire. The Fordham Company pledged nearly $500,000 to assist in the development of the park, which was to adjoin the site of their new tower. But one year later Carley failed to obtain the necessary financing for his project, and the development of the adjacent tower was turned over to Garret Kelleher of Shelbourne Development and the building was renamed Chicago Spire. In late 2006, the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
reported that the project may be going forward with a compromise on the design being reached, but no further financial assistance was promised. In March 2007 Shelbourne Development, the new development company which renamed the adjancent project Chicago Spire, offered $6 million to finish the development of DuSable Park. In early May of the same year, that offer jumped to $9.6 million. Shelbourne offered their own design of the park which included a northbound ramp onto Lake Shore Drive for the adjacent Chicago Spire. To appease citizens and members of the DuSable Park Coalition, Shelbourne Development redesigned the northbound ramp to fit under Lake Shore Drive and use less park space.
The Chicago Spire was later cancelled in early 2010, due to major setbacks.
Redevelopment concerns
The current revetmentRevetment
Revetments, or revêtements , have a variety of meanings in architecture, engineering and art history. In stream restoration, river engineering or coastal management, they are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to absorb the energy of incoming water...
of the land is in need of repair which may cost up to $5.7 million. In addition, soil tests performed at the location of DuSable Park in December 2000 showed contamination of radioactive
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
. From 1904 through 1936, the Lindsay Light Company processed ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
s which contained thorium to manufacture thorium impregnated gas mantle
Gas mantle
An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating bright white light when heated by a flame. The name refers to its original heat source, existing gas lights, which filled the streets of Europe and North America in the late 19th century, mantle referring to the...
s. It was suspected that after the plant closed, contaminated soil was dumped on the location of the proposed park. In March 2003, the Chicago Park District stated that the thorium clean-up on that land was incomplete. It has been reported that Shelbourne Development will soon be taking soil samples to determine the severity of the radioactive contamination.
See also
- Parks of ChicagoParks of ChicagoThe City of Chicago devotes 8.2% of its total land acreage to parkland, which ranked it ninth among high-density population cities in the United States in 2008....
- Chicago Park DistrictChicago Park DistrictThe Chicago Park District is the oldest and largest park district in the U.S.A, with a $385 million annual budget. It has the distinction of spending the most per capita on its parks, even more than Boston in terms of park expenses per capita...
- Chicago Spire
- Jean Baptiste Point du Sable