Ald. Ray Lopez wants to give one of Chicago’s prime lakefront stretches a decidedly higher calling, pitching a plan to rename Northerly Island as “Pope Leo XIV Northerly Island” and turn it into a tribute to the Chicago-born pontiff.
Lopez envisions part of the former Meigs Field passenger terminal becoming an interpretive space focused on the pope’s life. He has also floated the idea that the site could one day host an outdoor Mass if Pope Leo XIV visits Chicago.
The Southwest Side alderperson plans to introduce a resolution at Wednesday’s City Council meeting that would urge the Chicago Park District to adopt the new name and explore the repurposing of the site, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. Lopez told the paper, “Northerly Island is a beautiful space that brings people to the lakefront,” and framed the idea as both a hometown honor for the pope and a way to inject more activity into the park.
From Meigs Field To A Park
The land Lopez wants to rename once held Meigs Field, the lakefront airport that became a national flashpoint in 2003 when then-Mayor Richard M. Daley sent crews in overnight to carve giant Xs into the runway, effectively shutting it down and clearing the way for new parkland. That midnight demolition job has lingered for years in Chicago’s political memory, and the mix of half-finished plans and high expectations since then has turned Northerly Island into a delicate subject for city planners and park lovers alike, as detailed by WBEZ.
Park Advocates Say Name Alone Will Not Be Enough
Local park advocates have long argued that Northerly Island needs more than a fresh nameplate. They say the island is underused, needs better everyday public access, and requires a steady stream of funding instead of relying on one-off projects and short-term fixes. Temporary private events have at times cut into regular public use, a trade-off that has not gone over well with some open-space advocates.
Those concerns echo the position of Friends of the Parks, which has pressed for a comprehensive, publicly minded vision for Northerly Island and has pointed to long-standing calls for a complete plan and more reliable resources for the site.
What Comes Next
Even if Lopez’s resolution passes the City Council, it would function as a nudge rather than an order. The Chicago Park District Board, not City Hall, typically holds the power to rename parks and facilities.
In recent years, the Park District has been moving toward a clearer renaming code that uses a two-step process with a public comment period, often about 45 days, and separate votes to remove an old name and then approve a new one. WTTW has outlined how that process is supposed to work.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has shown his own interest in honoring Pope Leo XIV. He recently led a large Chicago delegation to Rome and presented the pope with a key to the city, and he has publicly discussed ways to recognize the pontiff back home, including the idea of inviting him to celebrate Mass in Grant Park, according to the AP.
If Lopez’s renaming push clears the council, the next round of debate will likely focus on practical questions: who pays for any new facilities or programming, whether a rebranded island remains as open and welcoming as it is today, and how Chicagoans feel about giving a public lakefront park a name explicitly tied to a religious figure. Those issues are poised to shape public comment and Park Board deliberations if the proposal moves forward.
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