Commemorate the 1933 World's Fair at Northerly Island

To:  The Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor of the City of Chicago

2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair called A Century of Progress. The theme "A Century of Progress" referred to the one hundred year period from the founding of Chicago in 1833, to the year of the fair, 1933. One of the guiding principles of the fair was "Progress Through Science". The fair took place between Roosevelt Road and 39th Street along the lakefront including the area where Meigs Field was located (now designated as Northerly Island).

Over 39,000,000 people attended Chicago's second World's Fair. (The first being the Columbian Exposition held in 1893.) The fair helped to lift the spirits and the economy of Chicago during the Great Depression. Almost everyone who lived in Chicago during 1933 and 1934 would have been impacted by this great event. It is amazing that this fair was privately financed at the height of the Depression and was one of the few World's Fairs to make a profit! (After the fair ended, the profits were donated to local museums and some of the exhibits were moved to the Museum of Science and Industry.)

Much of Northerly Island was specifically built for the 1933 World's Fair and one of the stars on Chicago's flag commemorates the 1933/34 Fair. There are few traces of the 1933/1934 World's Fair at its original site. The point of this petition is to ask Mayor Daley and the Chicago Park District to commemorate this bright moment in Chicago's history at the park at Northerly Island, since that was the site of the fair. This could be done with a plaque, a sculpture related to the fair, art deco motifs, etc .

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Commemorate the 1933 World's Fair at Northerly Island Petition to The Honorable Richard M. Daley, Mayor of the City of Chicago was created by and written by Rick Rann (rickrann@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.