Airports and mayors named “Daley” have long history in the city of Chicago.
Richard M. Daley (the Daley of our OUR generation) famously had the runways at Meigs Field bulldozed overnight — and now we go to see concerts there. But it was his father, Richard J. Daley, that may have had the craziest airport scheme of all.  He wanted to build one ON Lake Michigan.
Located almost 10 miles due east of Hyde Park on an man-made island, the city’s theoretical third airport would have checked off two of Daley’s biggest political pushes:Â keeping it within the city limits to retain all the revenue and employment opportunities — while not having to displace taxpayers and bulldoze the massive amount of land required for an airport.
As we know, the project never came to be. The Chicago Reader walks us through the whole story, and why it ultimately fell through. — [eric]
