Industry

Deindustrialization on Goose Island, 1988

Photographer: John McCarthy
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37296)

Photographer: John McCarthy
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37298)

By 1935, there were only eleven residential structures on Goose Island. By the 1980s, most of the industries had left as well and a major policy debate was underway: whether to allow residential redevelopment on the island, which was zoned for heavy industry and manufacturing.

See also: Goose Island; Urban Renewal

Protecting and Promoting Industry

Authors: New City YMCA, Econ. Development Unit; City of Chicago, Dept. of Econ. Development; UIC, Center for Urban Econ. Development
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-37295)

The administration of Harold Washington commissioned reports on industrial displacement in Chicago. The Washington report embraced protection of industrial zones across Chicago, including Goose Island. The Daley administration designated Goose Island a Protected Manufacturing District in 1990.

See also: Business of Chicago; Economic Geography

Beyond Industry

Author: Thomas A. Corfman, Chicago Tribune
Source: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-38036)

The William Wrigley Jr. Company closed a deal in March 2003 to build a 300,000 square-foot research center on Goose Island. This research facility took the lead on redevelopment on the island after Divine Inc., a Chicago high-tech enterprise that did not meet expectations, was unable to build its planned showcase headquarters on the site. Traditional industry generally balked at the high real estate costs on Goose Island. Instead, Kendall College opened a new Riverworks Campus on the south end of Goose Island in 2004, joining the Wrigley research center and other innovative neighbors.