Steelworkers Park lies down 87th Street, beyond the busy intersection of 87th and DuSable Lake Shore Drive. After a long walk from the bus (if you’re taking CTA) to the lakefront park, you are greeted by the sweet smell of prairie grass. The prairie is tall, full of flowers, and radiates in the sun. You might hear the voices of some day campers as you walk around the Chicago Park District park.
On a hot day at the end of June, I visited Steelworkers Park to see the rock climbing lessons offered up the side of massive concrete walls left behind by the namesake steel mill, which were once used to dock ships carrying iron ore. You can sign up for rock climbing on the Park District website. This summer, there were rock climbing events scheduled for kids, youth, and adults, as well as an adaptive event for veterans.
In addition to rock climbing, Steelworkers Park has tons of the aforementioned prairie—about eleven acres, in fact—with some strategically placed benches for resting and looking at the fields and lake. (Warning: I did not see any water fountains. Water bottle and sunscreen recommended.)
The prairie and buffalo grass, in addition to smelling great and giving the park a lush, green look, are maintained by both Chicago Park District staff and a group of volunteers who scatter seeds, pick up trash, and remove invasive species.
About those volunteers: Steelworkers Park Natural Area is part of the Park District’s Community Stewardship program. According to Chicago Park District spokesperson Irene Tostado, “The Community Stewardship Workdays offer volunteers an opportunity to get involved in learning and helping to maintain these natural spaces by partaking in invasive plant removal, native plantings, litter pickup, trail mulching, as well as nature-based activities like birding and plant identification walks.” For those interested in pitching in, more details and volunteer dates are available at the Park District’s Natural Areas Community Stewardship Days webpage.
South Works, the steel mill whose ruins form part of the park, was created in 1901 when U.S. Steel bought the South Chicago steel manufacturing plant. During the first half of the twentieth century, South Works was the largest employer on the South Side of Chicago, employing an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people and covering almost 600 acres of land. South Works has had a lasting physical impact in the city beyond Steelworkers Park: the (former) Sears Tower and the John Hancock building were both built with South Works steel. For South Chicago, although the steel mill brought jobs to the area, and its closure in 1992 had a negative economic impact, it was dangerous, difficult work. Some of those dangers have left their own lasting impact including the environmental contamination from the steel mill operations that has defeated some efforts to develop the site.
Today, the area around Steelworkers Park is being developed into the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, a full-on technology hub with the quantum computing company PsiQuantum as the anchor tenant. PsiQuantum, a Palo Alto–based company, is promising 150 jobs in five years and $1 billion in investment. Governor J.B. Pritzker’s office has estimated the benefits brought in by the development project could total $20 billion. This move is not welcomed by all, however—you may even see some anti-quantum graffiti around Steelworkers Park.
Southside Together and other groups have raised concerns about the development, citing issues like few jobs for residents and the potential for environmental problems. Additionally, a key issue for Southside Together is that the quantum facility decision was made without community input: town halls were held only after the decision was made.
Jerry Whirley, a member of Southside Together and a South Shore resident, explained: “I think that the methods taken to… exclude the community were very intentional. The people of these communities need to be informed about decisions that directly affect us, and we deserve to have a say in what happens in our neighborhoods.”
The Park District says it has plans to engage with the community on the “future development” of Steelworkers Park in the “coming months” as part of the Steelworkers Park Master Plan process.
In the meantime, the prairie remains well cared for and verdant through the fall.
Steelworkers Park, 87th St. at S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Daily, 6am–11pm. chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/steelworkers-natural-area
Dabney Lyles is a longtime South Side resident. This is Dabney’s first piece for the Weekly.