Friends of Monroe Harbor

"Slopes leading down to the water should be quiet stretches of green, unvexed by small irregular piers."
-- Daniel Burnham, Plan of Chicago, 1909

Friends of Monroe Harbor is a community based organization. Some of us live in the buildings surrounding Monroe Harbor. Some of us are simply interested in maintaining the beauty and open vistas of Monroe Harbor and Grant Park. And some of us are boaters. We all believe that Monroe Harbor should remain as it is, an open space, dotted with sailboats and motor boats swaying in the wind.

Our Mission - Uphold the Grant Park Framework Plan

The official Grant Park Framework Plan, published in January, 2002 by the Chicago Park District, and titled "A Plan for Restoration and Development" calls Grant Park "...Chicago's central civic open space and the keystone of Chicago's extensive lakefront park system." The Plan supports the notion that the Park and Lakefront are one, and provides proposals for improving access to, and activation of, the Lakefront. The Plan is clear when it states that changes to Monroe Harbor must, "Maintain the essential historic character and recreational/boating capacities of Monroe Harbor, unencumbered by additional piers or other barriers." The mission of Friends of Monroe Harbor is to ensure that this Plan is upheld.

Past Successes

We have already been successful in our efforts to maintain the harbor. In the early Spring of 2003, Westrec Marina Management, Inc. and the Chicago Park District announced a plan to renovate Monroe Harbor. The plan called for the construction of a new marina in Monroe Harbor and included a 1,500 ft. pier at Adams Street with permanent docks/slips for 900 boats. The new pier would have broken the symmetry of Grant Park's Monroe Harbor. If constructed, the entire north side of Monroe Harbor from just north of Congress and Buckingham Fountain would have resembled a private west coast marina. With the help and voices of many volunteers, FOMH was successful in proposing an alternate plan to Mayor Daley, which was ultimately adopted. The new plan provides increased capacity and revenue for the citizens of Chicago while preserving the Harbor for generations to come.

Current Challenge

Our current challenge is to encourage the City of Chicago to adopt the "Legacy Plan" in preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games, should Chicago be the chosen city. The Legacy Plan has been developed by boaters and harbor users with the goal of creating a sustainable social, environmental and economic legacy post Olympic games with minimal disruption to our harbors before and during the games. This plan can be reviewed in detail by clicking on the 2016 Olympics Proposal link.

We Need your Help!

Please join us as we fight to preserve the most precious portion of Chicago's Lakefront and to keep it "Forever Open, Free and Clear." We have also included links to other organizations who support our cause. Contact us by filling out the contact form.