Science & Nature

Supporters of Chicago’s DuSable Park Celebrate Groundbreaking 40 Years in the Making: ‘Finally. Finally.’

Nearly 40 years ago, Mayor Harold Washington dedicated the spit of land where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan as DuSable Park, in honor of Chicago’s first permanent non-Indigenous settler, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable.

On Tuesday, politicians and civic leaders officially broke ground on the long-awaited green space.

Peggy Montes, 90, was among those turning over a shovel-full of ceremonial dirt — the sole survivor of the foursome who first conceived of the park. 

“My heart is overfilled with joy,” Montes said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Montes recounted the moment back in 1986 when she; Washington; Washington’s brother, Ramon Price; and DuSable Black History Museum founder Margaret Burroughs got together and said, “DuSable needs to be heard. DuSable needs to be seen.”

“We’ve had to go through hell and high water” since then, Montes said. “At the end … look what we have. Finally. Finally.”

Peggy Montes, 90, is the lone survivor of the group of people who originally conceived of DuSable Park. "God has blessed me to be here," Montes said as she spoke at the park's groundbreaking ceremony. (City of Chicago)

Slated for completion in summer 2028, DuSable Park — designed by Carol Ross Barney Architects and Westbrook Architects — will include an open lawn, a pavilion, a woodland area, a wet prairie, plazas, a boardwalk and an overlook.

Public art installations and interpretive elements will walk visitors through DuSable’s story: His early life in Haiti, his establishment of a trading post at what’s now Chicago, and the relationships he built with members of the existing indigenous community, including his marriage to Kitihawa.  

“We’re designing a space that will make you think about how you fit into Chicago’s history and Chicago’s landscape,” Carol Ross Barney, previously told WTTW News. “The park will interpret DuSable’s life and help you understand the changes that were going on when he arrived here.”

What took so long for the park to become a reality?

Progress on the 3.4-acre site was stalled nearly from the start, following Washington’s sudden death. A major roadblock was the discovery of radioactive thorium in the soil — the legacy of the land’s use as a dumping ground by an early 20th century lamp factory. Extensive environmental remediation was required, as well as a new seawall.

In 2021, the Chicago Park District completed remediation with funding support from the Environmental Protection Agency. 

For years the fate of DuSable Park had the misfortune of being tied to the ill-fated Chicago Spire, the proposed skyscraper that never got off the ground courtesy of the 2008 economic collapse. The Spire location, directly across DuSable Lake Shore Drive from the park, was acquired in 2014 by Related Midwest, which pledged $10 million to help transform the parkland as part of its 400 Lake Shore Drive development.

The park is also being funded with $5 million in Open Space Impact Fees.

“This park is the product of years of collaboration that has taken the dedication, persistence, and partnership of countless individuals and organizations to bring us to this historic moment,” said Chicago Park District Superintendent and CEO Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. 

A planned extension of the Chicago Riverwalk — dubbed Founders Way — will provide pedestrian-friendly access to the park. It’s expected to be completed in conjunction with 400 Lake Shore Drive.

Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]

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