Activists say new studies show Promontory Point's historic limestone seawall can be repaired

Community activists have unveiled new design alternatives for Promontory Point that preserve its historic limestone barriers while still properly protecting its shoreline.

On Tuesday, the Promontory Point Conservancy shared the results of three recently commissioned studies that concluded that a preservation-based approach to repairing the point’s limestone steps could still meet storm damage and coastal resilience requirements and provided suggestions for how to move forward with renovations.

“All three reports agree with our consistent strong message; the limestone revetment has not failed and can be maintained and repaired,” Jorge Sanchez, vice president of the Promontory Point Conservancy, said at a news conference

Community members have been engaged in a decades-long battle to preserve the man-made park near 55th Street and DuSable Lake Shore Drive in Hyde Park. The point’s seawall includes the last original limestone revetments standing in the city.

Promontory Point is currently one of two sites that remain unfinished under the Shoreline Protection Project. The Chicago Park District, Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the agencies leading the project — have claimed the current shoreline structures no longer protect against storm damage and erosion and must be replaced.

But the conservancy-commissioned studies found that the current limestone still functions, and if properly repaired and maintained, could be in service for another hundred years.

One of the studies also includes five preservation-based design alternatives that ensure coastal resilience while “retaining the historic fabric of the existing structure,” and offers suggestions for how to complete the restoration in sections, so the park can remain open during construction.

Preservationist efforts have picked up over the last couple of years. In 2023, a year after being named to Preservation Chicago’s annual “most endangered” list, the point was designated as an official Chicago Landmark by the City Council.

In November 2024, the state Senate passed a resolution — introduced by Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago — in support of the preservation of Promontory Point.

“The studies tell us something we already know,” Peters said at Tuesday’s news conference. “This is about political will. This is [about] the fact that there are some people who want to just cut some corners, lay down some cement, and take away the character of the point because it's cheaper and it's easier, and we're not in the business of doing cheaper and easier. We're here to do this right and to preserve it.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Tuesday that the corps was reviewing the conservancy's latest studies.

The Chicago Department of Transportation wrote in a statement Tuesday that all partner organizations are committed to “preserving and reusing as much of the existing limestone as possible to protect the site’s historic integrity.” The Chicago Park District echoed that sentiment.

The corps says all partner agencies are actively negotiating an agreement with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office and community leaders to establish a clear process for “addressing historic preservation considerations.”

This agreement would be an important step forward, according to Jack Spicer, president of the Promontory Point Conservancy.

“This is what democracy is about,” Spicer said Tuesday. “Average, ordinary citizens having a say in what the government does and how they do it.”

Over the next four months, the conservancy will also hold six community meetings to gather more input on the future of the point. The dates and locations of those meetings can be found on its website: https://www.promontorypoint.org/