WTTW News Explains
WTTW News Explains: How Did Meigs Field Become Northerly Island Park?
We all know O’Hare and Midway.
But along the lakefront — near Soldier Field and the Adler Planetarium — is a little strip of land that was once home to a small airport called Meigs Field. That was until one March morning, a little over 20 years ago, when the city awoke to find Mayor Richard M. Daley had the airport bulldozed in the middle of the night.
This audacious covert bulldozing operation was the conclusion to a yearslong political battle to turn the airport into what it is now: Northerly Island Park.
So, how was this even possible? First, let’s back up.
By the mid-20th century, Meigs Field was the busiest single-runway airport in the country. It was primarily used by politicians and business elites to jet in and out of downtown. But Daley had other plans for the land. The man-made peninsula that Meigs Field sat on was owned by the Chicago Park District.
And for years, some Chicagoans, Daley included, argued the lakefront land should instead be used as a park, open to all residents. But a series of political deals and pushback from aviation and business advocates kept the airport open. So Daley hatched a plan.
By cover of night in March 2003, the mayor’s demolition crew arrived at the airport and carved giant Xs into the runway, rendering it unusable. And all this was done without telling the City Council, the state or the Federal Aviation Administration.
The surprise move left several planes stranded.
Daley defended the stunt as a necessary post-9/11 security measure to prevent planes from flying near downtown Chicago. But critics and pundits say the mayor was merely dodging a prolonged and expensive legal battle with various groups fighting to keep the airport open.
No matter the purpose of the plot, Chicago had to pay the FAA a $33,000 fine and an additional $1 million to repay grant funding. Daley’s midnight caper became a textbook example of mayoral clout, and Meigs Field became Northerly Island Park — home to an outdoor concert venue and an urban nature sanctuary.
