Damen Silos at a Crossroads: Advocate for a Future Rooted in River and Community Health

The Damen Silos is a unique and important river-edge site that marks the gateway between the South Branch of the Chicago River and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal on Chicago’s southwest side. The site covers 23 acres and has almost a half mile of river frontage. It is located directly adjacent to the recently improved Canalport Riverwalk, is near the Park 571 Boat House, and is just west of the study area for a vision plan led by the City of Chicago that builds off of the work of the McKinley Park Development Council to create a strategy for a connected system of parks and river-edge trails. Friends sees the future plans for the Damen Silos site as a once in a lifetime river restoration opportunity, worthy of creative thinking. It should not be treated as cookie cutter development, but rather should reflect the communities’ vision, help to repair the burden of pollution that the surrounding neighborhoods experience, restore the river ecology, and create welcoming pubic access.

Recently, the City of Chicago approved demolition permits for the Damen Silos structures, and Friends also shares local residents concerns about the demolition process, including how the proposed approach will protect water quality and the river’s edges. On June 27, a public demolition meeting was hosted by the City, where over 40 people attended including Friends’ staff to hear process updates and current public concerns. The City’s meeting was focused on sharing the proposed approach to the demolition oversight, which will include strategies such as dust control and air monitoring measures, barges along the river as catch decks, with this being designated as an environmentally complex demolition. Even though a coalition of community organizations have been advocating for a community driven vision for the site, there was little discussion of what the site will be in the future.

Friends of the Chicago River has been closely tracking this key river-edge site since its 2022 sale from the state to MAT Limited Partnership. Friends and our partners submitted a joint advocacy letter, linked here, to urge the Governor to halt sale negotiations, emphasizing the changing ecological and community context of this site.

The South Branch deserves the same commitment to ecological design and restoration that the North Branch has enjoyed for years. We invite you to stand with us and our community partners in urging Chicago to envision a bold, transformative future for this vital gateway site.