Hearty applause for Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin’s call on Park District officials to reactivate their concept of a Chicago labor museum in the new parkland to be developed on the lakefront south from 79th on the empty site of what was the world’s biggest steel mill (“Steelworkers deserve tribute in lakefront park,” Tempo, Nov. 18). The idea that a museum devoted to the story of Chicago’s lost industrial base in steel and other industries in very timely and important.
Industrial processes and the nature of industrial labor are truly fascinating topics. More than that, the folks who worked so hard and often lost their limbs and lives in the workshops of the city should be remembered and celebrated. Our youngsters ought to know how Chicago made its living before the information age and NAFTA shipped their parents’ jobs overseas.
