Promontory Point Conservancy
preserving the Point the right way
Keep Promontory Point "open, clear and free" for everyone!
Send a letter to City officials demanding that the Chicago Police Department respond to teen gatherings at the Point and 57th Street Beach in a way that keeps the Point a peaceful, safe santuary and guarantees access to the lakefront parks to everyone.
The quote "open, clear and free" comes from the 1836 proviso for the Chicago lakefront. It was used by Montgomery Ward in his series of 1880 and 1890s lawsuits to stop privatization of the Chicago lakefront. Over the years, it has come to mean not just a prohibition of industrialization and commercialization of lakefront parkland but free, clear and open access for all. Because we're a preservation organization, it’s our hook in this matter.
Send a letter to City officials demanding that the Chicago Police Department respond to teen gatherings at the Point and 57th Street Beach in a way that keeps the Point a peaceful, safe santuary and guarantees access to the lakefront parks to everyone.
The quote "open, clear and free" comes from the 1836 proviso for the Chicago lakefront. It was used by Montgomery Ward in his series of 1880 and 1890s lawsuits to stop privatization of the Chicago lakefront. Over the years, it has come to mean not just a prohibition of industrialization and commercialization of lakefront parkland but free, clear and open access for all. Because we're a preservation organization, it’s our hook in this matter.
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Read the Conservancy's statement on the City's poor response to teens gathering at Promontory Point and 57th Street Beach, and why the Point should stay "open, clear and free" for all
Read 5th Ward Alderman Desmon Yancy's op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, dated June 2, 2026, in response to the City's inadequate response to "teen takeovers". And watch Yancy's outstanding interview with Bennie Currie on proven peaceful ways of engaging teens. |
Celebrate Juneteenth and the 89th anniversary of Promontory Point at the 5th annual Int'l Point Day
Saturday, June 20, 11:00am - 4:00pm All day events and fun! Find out more here |
The community is the Point: how preserving the historic limestone revetment preserves a City-wide community
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Don't destroy it. Fix it the right way |
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Why “Save the Point”? Save it from what?
As of January 2026, the Chicago Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), and the Chicago Park District (CPkD) are fully funded to demolish the limestone block revetment and replace it with new construction closing the Point for 5 years. All at the exorbitant cost of $100m dollars. CDOT's contractor will complete its $5m design plan in 2026 and construction will start in spring 2027. Read more |
How can we Save the Point?
Promontory Point Conservancy commissioned four independent engineering reports, funded by the community, which ultimately reached a variety of different conclusions about the Point’s structural soundness. They found that the Point’s existing limestone revetment has not failed, functions in pretty good condition and can be repaired for half the cost in eleven months. And it can be fixed in sections so the Point never closes. Read more |
Didn’t we already Save the Point?
You’re right, they’ve tried this before! After previous efforts to concretize the Point were shut down by the community from 2000-2007, the Conservancy spearheaded the Point’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018 as well as its designation as a Chicago Landmark in 2023. But this double landmarking still hasn’t guaranteed that the Point’s defining features won’t be destroyed — and a vibrant community along with it. Read more |
The conflict between what the community desires and USACE, CDOT and CPkD's plan for demolition and replacement is succinctly summarized in this video here (4:14) by Hans Friedl.
Promontory Point de-stigmatizes the South Side and shows who we really are. Read the study
Everyone has a Point story. What's yours? Write us
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Latest new about the Point and the Conservancy
Read the Conservancy's December letter to the editor, Chicago Sun-Times
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