The best of time, the worst of times: what we know about the newly funded design planning and construction project at the Point

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, . . . "* Promontory Point has never been in as safe a place and in as dangerous a place as it is right now. A difficult paradox to fathom but quite simply the truth.

The best of times: With the Point about to be made a Chicago landmark and already on the National Register of Historic Places, the historic limestone revetment and the Caldwell-Prairie Style landscape have never been more secure. If the City Council passes the ordinance making the Point a Chicago landmark on April 19, it will make it much more difficult to demolish the limestone revetment or destroy the Caldwell landscape at the Point. But, it will not make it impossible. 

The worst of times: In the congressional acts that funded the federal budget at the end of last year, the City and Park District scored big on two fronts. First, they managed to tamper with and alter Congresswoman Robin Kelly's earmark preservation feasibility study and cost analysis for Promontory Point to make it meaningless and Pointless as it ended up in the October infrastructure bill. Second, they managed to find sponsorship for 65% federal funding of their "locally preferred plan" in the December Defense budget. Both these appropriations are devastating for preservation at the Point and for the community. 

Here's what the Conservancy knows so far about the newly funded work at Promontory Point -- really, just the Chicago U.S. Army Corps's tentative schedule from the 2022 funding through 2029 construction completion.

2023

• March 16 - May 15: The Chicago Corps conducts a $450,000, internal document review of all the existing design studies, 1992-2022, to provide guidance on the upcoming design planning and construction at the Point
• April - May: CDOT issues it RFQ/RFP for a $5m design planning study of the Point
• November: CDOT selects a firm for the design planning study of Promontory Point

2024

• May 15: CDOT's design study plan is completed
• May 15: Chicago Corps conducts a NEPA (environmental) scoping review with input from the public
• May 15- June 14: first opportunity for public input to CDOT's new design for the Point

2025

• April 10 - May 10: second opportunity for public input to CDOT's design for the Point
• October 7 - November 8: third and final opportunity for public input to CDOT's design for the Point
• November: CDOT's construction contract awarded for finalized design for the Point
• November - December: CDOT's design approved for construction with federal (65%) and City (35%) funding authorizations
• August - December: CDOT receives federal funding authorization for $50-75m construction at the Point

2026

• March: construction begins at Promontory Point. The park is closed for 2-3 years.

2028-2029

• Promontory Point park reopens with a new revetment

Clearly, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. . . . Winning the Chicago landmark designation means the community has won the outside game. And it won the outside game because you wrote nearly 600 letters in support of City-landmarking with stories of what the Point means to you that melted the hearts of bureaurocrats.

The City (CDOT) and the Chicago Park District, however, have won the inside game by securing all the money. They have let the City-landmarking of the Point move forward because they believe that the money and the inside game will ultimately win.

The Conservancy's work now is to ensure that all the legal protections -- such as the National Register and Chicago Landmark protections -- are in place and are addressed thoroughly in whatever design the City promotes. We are working hard and continuously at our strong, preservation strategy and will continue to fight the good fight in the inside game as well as the outside game.

But it is in the political arena, the outside game, where the Point will be saved and only by the community as it continues to rally and advocate for fixing the historic limestone revetment and not destroying it.

Stay tuned as we finetune and present our preservation approach -- why it's cheaper, stronger, sustainable and better looking. (And fixing the limestone revetment means that only 1/3 of the Point is under construction at any one time while the other 2/3's are open all year for you to enjoy the Point.)

Please donate to support our ongoing work to ensure that genuine preservation construction happens at the Point in 2026. We need your support as we work to Save the Point Again!

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* Opening line of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. 1859.