Terminal of the Airport

Burnham's Plan of Chicago (1909) — north is to the right

Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (IATA: CGX, ICAO: KCGX), was a single strip airport built on Northerly Island, the man-made peninsula that also sited the 1933-1934 Century of Progress in Chicago, Illinois. The airport opened on December 10, 1948, and became the country's busiest single-strip airport by 1955. The latest air traffic tower was built in 1952 and the terminal was dedicated in 1961. The airfield was named for Merrill C. Meigs, publisher of the Chicago Herald and Examiner and an aviation booster. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 871 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 871 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO (IPA pronunciation: ) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... A 1933 Century of Progress worlds fair poster The Century of Progress International Exposition was a Worlds Fair held in Chicago, Illinois from 1933-1934 to celebrate Chicagos centennial. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Merrill C. Meigs (November 25, 1883 - January 26, 1968) was the publisher of the Chicago Herald and Examiner in the 1920s. ... Chicagos American, an afternoon newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, was the last flowering of the aggressive journalistic tradition depicted in the play and movie The Front Page. ...

Northerly Island, owned by the Chicago Park District, is the first and only lakefront structure to be built based on Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago. In the image to the right, Northerly Island forms the southern border of Chicago Harbor (now Monroe Harbor). As indicated by the color green on the original plan, the island was to be populated by trees and grass for the public enjoyment by all. However, drafted less than six years after the Wright brothers' historic flight, the 1909 plan does not envision any airports for Chicago. Daniel H. Burnham. ... Proposed development in the center of the city The Burnham Plan is an essay, principally authored by Daniel Burnham in 1909, entitled The Plan of Chicago. ... The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871–January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867–May 30, 1912), were two Americans generally credited with building the worlds first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. ...

The airport was a familiar sight on the downtown lakefront. It was also well-known as the default takeoff field in many early versions of the popular Microsoft Flight Simulator software program. It is an airport that is featured in Microsoft's Midtown Madness computer game (1999), which is based in Chicago. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a flight simulator program for Microsoft Windows, marketed and often seen as a video game. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... Midtown Madness is a free roam racing/arcade game, first in the Midtown Madness series, developed by Microsoft Game Studios and Angel Studios (now Rockstar San Diego). ...

The Main Terminal Building was operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation and contained waiting areas as well as office and counter space. The runway at Meigs Field was nearly 3,900 feet (1,200 m) long and 150 feet (46 m) wide. In addition, there were four public helicopter pads at the south end of the runway, near McCormick Place. The north end of the runway was near the Adler Planetarium. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... McCormick Place is an enormous exposition complex located in Chicago, Illinois. ... Adler Planetarium The Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum in downtown Chicago, Illinois was the first planetarium in the United States and is the oldest in existence today. ...

History of Meigs Field

While the 1909 Plan of Chicago had no provision for air service, technological breakthroughs would quickly render the Plan at least partially obsolete. Chicago's first airplane flight took place in 1910 in Grant Park, adjacent to Northerly Island, with an international aeronautical exhibition at the same location in 1911. Then, in 1918, regular air mail service to Grant Park began. However, Grant Park was unsuitable for the city's growing aviation needs. At least two major cities have a Grant Park: Grant Park in Chicago Grant Park in Atlanta This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

By 1916, Edward H. Bennett, co-author of the Plan of Chicago, wrote that a lakefront location would be most suitable for an airport serving the central business district. (Daniel Burnham died in 1912.) In 1920, Chicagoans approved a bond referendum to pay for landfill construction of the peninsula, and in 1922 construction began. That same year Mayor William Hale Thompson recommended locating the downtown airport there. A few years later the Chicago South Park Commission voted in agreement. In 1928, the Chicago Association of Commerce, representing the business community, also advocated for the lakefront airport. Edward H. Bennett, (1874, Wiltshire, England - 1954) was a British architect who worked significantly in Chicago. ... William Hale Thompson campaigns for Mayor in 1917. ...

The Great Depression put numerous civic plans on hold, including the airport. Construction continued on the peninsula itself, with the 1933 World's Fair occupying the just-completed peninsula. In the 1930s the Chicago City Council and Illinois State Legislature passed resolutions to create the airport, but both the poor economy and World War II intervened. For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Almost immediately after World War II, in 1946, airport construction began. That same year the Illinois state legislature deeded 24 acres of adjacent lake bottom to Chicago for additional landfill, to make the property large enough for a suitable runway. (Aviation technology had advanced rapidly during World War II.) The airport opened on December 10, 1948, in a grand ceremony. December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, 21 days before the next year. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On June 30, 1950, the airport was officially renamed "Merrill C. Meigs Field." Various improvements took place over the years, including the 1952 opening of an air traffic control tower, the 1961 opening of a new terminal building (dedicated by Richard J. Daley), runway lengthening, and the late 1990s charting of two FAA instrument approaches allowing landings in poor weather conditions. By the 1970s Meigs Field became a critical facility for aeromedical transport of patients and transplant organs to downtown hospitals as medical transportation technology modernized. Meigs Field also provided airline service to the public, peaking in the late 1980s as Mayor Richard M. Daley took office. is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was the longest-serving mayor of Chicago. ... Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is a United States politician, powerful member of the national and local Democratic Party and current mayor of Chicago, Illinois. ...

Numerous VIPs used the airport to maintain security and to avoid inconveniencing the Chicago traveling public, including President John F. Kennedy. In a common pattern, Air Force One would land at a larger area airport, and the President would take a helicopter to Meigs Field to avoid the complications of a Secret Service escort via Chicago's expressways. John Kennedy and JFK redirect here. ... For other uses, see Air Force One (disambiguation). ... Because of both the secrecy of secret services and the controversial nature of the issues involved, there is some difficulty in separating the definitions of secret service, secret police, intelligence agency etc. ...

Starting in the early 1990s, the Chicago-area Tuskegee Airmen provided free airplane rides every month and aviation education to Chicago youth at Meigs Field. Thousands of children enjoyed their first airplane rides there until 2003. Pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group, Tuskegee Airmen, the elite, all-African American 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy. ...

With the events of September 11, 2001, all civilian airports including Meigs Field temporarily closed. The City of Chicago took a full month to reopen the airport, well after other airports reopened. is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ...

Closing of Meigs Field

Tower of the Airport

In 1994, Daley announced plans to close the airport and build a park in its place on Northerly Island. Northerly Island where the airport was located was owned by the Chicago Park District, which refused to renew the airport lease in 1996.^[1] The city briefly closed the airport from the expiration of the lease in October 1996 through February 1997 when pressure from the state legislature persuaded them to reopen the airport. ^[2] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1920 × 2560 pixel, file size: 679 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1920 × 2560 pixel, file size: 679 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

In 2001, a compromise was reached between Chicago, the State of Illinois, and others to keep the airport open for the next twenty-five years. However, the federal legislation component of the deal did not pass the United States Senate. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the...

In a controversial move on March 30, 2003, Mayor Daley ordered private crews to destroy the runway in the middle of the night, bulldozing large X-shaped gouges into the runway surface.^[3] The required notice was not given to the Federal Aviation Administration or the owners of airplanes tied down at the field, and as a result sixteen planes were left stranded at an airport with no operating runway, and an incoming flight was diverted. The stranded aircraft were later allowed to depart from Meigs' 3,000 foot (914 m) taxiway.^[4] is the 89th day of the year (90th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “FAA” redirects here. ... A taxiway is a strip of land on an airport on which aircraft can roll (taxi) to or from a hangar, terminal, runway, or other facility. ...

Mayor Daley defended his actions, described as "appalling" by general aviation interest groups, by claiming it would save the City of Chicago the effort of further court battles before the airport could close. He claimed that safety concerns required the closure, due to the post-September 11 risk of terrorist-controlled aircraft attacking the downtown waterfront near Meigs Field. ^[5] General aviation (abbr. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly...

Editorials in the Chicago Tribune pointed out that "the issue is Daley's increasingly authoritarian style that brooks no disagreements, legal challenges, negotiations, compromise or any of that messy give-and-take normally associated with democratic government." ^[6] Daley himself played the populist against the general aviation pilots (some of whom were cardiologists and other medical professionals utilizing the field in the line of their work) who had previously used the airport because of its ideal location. ^[7] // The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois and owned by the Tribune Company. ...

Interest groups, led by the Friends of Meigs Field, attempted to use the courts to reopen Meigs Field over the following months, but because the airport was owned by the City of Chicago and had paid back its federal aviation grants, the courts ruled that Chicago was allowed to close the field. The FAA did fine the city US$33,000 for closing an airport with a charted instrument approach without giving the required 30-day notice. This was the maximum fine the law allowed at the time. In the aftermath, the "Meigs Legacy provision" was passed into law, increasing the maximum fine per day from US$1,100 to US$10,000 retroactively.^[8] An instrument approach is a type of air navigation that allows an aircraft to land in weather restricting visibility, or to reach visual conditions permitting a landing. ...

On September 17, 2006, the city dropped all legal appeals and agreed to pay the $33,000 fine as well as repay $1 million in misappropriated FAA Airport Improvement Program funds that it used to destroy the airfield and build the Northerly Island park. is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Northerly Island

Charter One Pavilion Sign, photo taken January 10, 2007

12th Street Beach House

By August 2003, construction crews had finished the demolition of Meigs Field. Northerly Island is now a park that features prairie grasses and strolling paths. In 2005, the 7,500 seat Charter One Pavilion opened on the site, which hosts music concerts in the summer. In February 2006, the city announced plans to open a heliport on the island.^[9] The island also has a modest beach, named 12th Street Beach (beach house pictured). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 671 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 671 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 390 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3072 × 2304 pixel, file size: 390 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Charter One Pavilion is an outdoor concert hall in Chicago. ...

On January 23, 2007, the Chicago 2016 Olympics bid committee revealed that Northerly Island would play a major role in the 2016 Olympics should Chicago be selected to host the event. In addition to venues on Northerly Island, the plans would call for rowing events to take place in Monroe Harbor, just north of Northerly Island. is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The bid logo. ... Olympic Games Summer Olympic Games Medal count Winter Olympic Games Medal count Olympic sports Medal counts Participating NOCs Olympic symbols Olympics WikiProject Olympics Portal Athens 2004 • Beijing 2008 Torino 2006 • Vancouver 2010 ...

Other Chicagoans have a different vision for the lakefront area. After the 2003 closure, the Friends of Meigs Field introduced a new plan, "Parks and Planes," which promotes an aviation museum, small operating runway, and park land on the property. This plan recognizes that Chicago could qualify for federal funds earmarked for airport property acquisition, to purchase many more acres of parkland in Chicago's neighborhoods and to improve the cash-strapped Chicago Park District's maintenance budget. In the 2007 mayoral election, Daley's unsuccessful opponent, William "Dock" Walls III, promised that his first act as mayor would be to reopen Meigs Field.^{[citation needed]} William Dock Walls III is a community activist, politician, former aide to Chicagos first African-American mayor, the late Harold Washington and is currently the director of the Committee For A Better Chicago. ...

The FAA maintains a Remote Communications Outlet (RCO) on the property, for two-way radio communications between the Kankakee Flight Service Station and nearby aircraft. This transmission facility (122.15 MHz) provides unique coverage for the busy lakefront flight corridor. The air traffic control tower is no longer staffed, which is a safety concern to pilots since Meigs's controllers provided air traffic advisories. A Flight Service Station (FSS) is an air traffic facility which provides pilot briefings regarding current weather and possible hazards along a route of flight. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... June 4 is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Chicago Park District Northerly Island
• Friends of Meigs Field

Coordinates: 41°51′36″N, 87°36′31″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

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