Steelworkers Memorial Park, East 87th Street and Lake Michigan
In an experiment to landscape the 40 foot deep slag base of the former steel mill site, a layer of Illinois river silt was used successfully to nurture the trees in this space, which commemorates the United States Steel Corporation’s South Works steelworkers.
After that environmental revitalization was begun, the owners, working with the City of Chicago, conveyed ownership of a 300 foot wide strip of the land, from the lake inward, to be dedicated to use by the Chicago Park District, providing lakefront access to the community.
Once the Chicago Park District became responsible for that space, interesting things began to happen, and continue to happen, as this page attempts to illustrate.
After that environmental revitalization was begun, the owners, working with the City of Chicago, conveyed ownership of a 300 foot wide strip of the land, from the lake inward, to be dedicated to use by the Chicago Park District, providing lakefront access to the community.
Once the Chicago Park District became responsible for that space, interesting things began to happen, and continue to happen, as this page attempts to illustrate.
Photo by Joann Podkul Murphy
2014 - 2015: Steelworkers Memorial Statue is Conceived, Commissioned, Created, and Dedicated
One of the first significant actions was the commissioning of the creation of a statue to commemorate the generations of steelworkers whose labors fueled the mighty engine of steel manufacture in South Chicago. Ultimately — and appropriately -- that task fell to community artist — and former USS South Works steel worker — Roman Villarreal. But, as is true of most community projects, local, regional, national, there must be a beginning.
2014: This video was taken at — or very near — that beginning: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=uk-QfzwgeIw
2014: A few short months after that meeting, artist Roman Villarreal began creating the mold for the commissioned steel workers memorial statue: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=UyMPs2wXa_Q
2014: Then, community representatives and the 10th Ward Alderman met with the artist to plan the unveiling of the completed statue: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=bwIBHaTnQsU
2015: Community representatives and the artist met in the 10th Ward Alderman’s office, to discuss preparations: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=KoU_dzxf6kk
2015: Community representatives and the artist met again in the Alderman’s office to finalize preparations: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Urxm0aO7d-c
2015: Next, the statue was mounted in the park: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=7t05_XKX1w8
2015: And, finally, the statue was unveiled to the public: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=yAAIP6elS9A
2015 - 2016: Steelworkers Memorial Park Comes Alive
In 2015, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Company and Chicago Park District, collaborating in their “Shakespeare in the Parks” program, brought their first South Chicago presentation, “Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits,” to this park, to the community’s delight: http://youtu.be/RNjQFNn22k4
That production was soon followed by the Erica Mott Production, "Trials and Trails,” which was a dance theatre tribute to the steelworkers whose labors made the site a major engine of national growth for nearly a century and a half: https://youtu.be/asu9tsb3e3w
2016 saw the continued use of Steelworkers Park for community enjoyment of the arts, as the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre/Chicago Park District collaboration continued with the production of “Twelfth Night:” https://youtu.be/PA-q6pfN2Uc and, shortly thereafter, the Erica Mott
Productions group returned: https://youtu.be/F1ct6BnEJiM
That production was soon followed by the Erica Mott Production, "Trials and Trails,” which was a dance theatre tribute to the steelworkers whose labors made the site a major engine of national growth for nearly a century and a half: https://youtu.be/asu9tsb3e3w
2016 saw the continued use of Steelworkers Park for community enjoyment of the arts, as the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre/Chicago Park District collaboration continued with the production of “Twelfth Night:” https://youtu.be/PA-q6pfN2Uc and, shortly thereafter, the Erica Mott
Productions group returned: https://youtu.be/F1ct6BnEJiM