(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A bid to rename a significant portion of Lake Shore Drive for Chicago’s Black founder has been postponed.
The measure to honor Jean Baptiste Point DuSable was delayed for a vote for one month, through a procedural maneuver Wednesday used by Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward.
Aldermen had been set to vote Wednesday on whether to rename Outer Lake Shore Drive for the trader, who died in 1818. DuSable, who was of African heritage, is considered the city’s first non-indigenous settler. His admirers have long complained he has not gotten his proper due.
The change would cover the 17-mile stretch of Lake Shore Drive from Hollywood to 67th Street, but residents have been assured their addresses on the inner drive will not change.
“There are a lot of folks who oppose any changing of Lake Shore Drive,” said Mayor Lightfoot, who helped delay the decision. “It’s one of the most iconic assets that the city has. When you say Lake Shore Drive, people know you’re talking about Chicago, and I think that’s very important.”
Lightfoot is pushing an alternative that she says goes "beyond a name change." It involves developing the area along the River Walk, with statues, markers and year-round programming, with the focus on DuSable.
The street-renaming initiative is estimated to cost $2.5 million.
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