Friends of the Parks image

Friends of the Parks

Non profit organization

😠 Such a shame that "Friends of the Park" will be remembered as the group who prevented a World Class museum from being built in the great City of Chicago. It's so unfortunate that you have deprived hundreds of Chicagoans job opportunities and the opportunity of the whole City of Chicago to be disting... People often mention Chicago, museum, Friends, city, parking, people, lakefront, Lucas, good,


Address

67 E Madison St Ste 1817, Chicago, IL 60603, United States

Website

www.fotp.org

Contact

+1 312-857-2757

Rating on Google Maps

1.80 (180 reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Sunday: Closed
  • Monday: (Washington's Birthday), 9 am to 5 pm, Hours might differ
  • Tuesday: 9 am to 5 pm
  • Wednesday: 9 am to 5 pm
  • Thursday: 9 am to 5 pm
  • Friday: 9 am to 5 pm
  • Saturday: Closed

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: Chicago (20) museum (19) Friends (11) city (10) parking (8) people (7) lakefront (7) Lucas (6) good (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Eric W. 6 years ago on Google • 9 reviews
    An a resident of Los Angeles, I want to thank FOTP for their efforts in preventing the construction of the Lucas museum in Chicago. Because of them, my city is receiving the largest civic endowment in American history. We get a fantastic building, thousands of fine and popular works of art, hundreds of jobs and billions in tourism revenue. Did you know that Lucas is paying for the construction himself, so no taxpayer dollars are needed? I thought that Chicago would benefit from all that as well, but apparently that parking lot is a VERY important cultural landmark. Anyway, whatever your motivation, your tenacity gave Los Angeles a “once in a generation” gift. Thank you!!
    23 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Ed M. 1 year ago on Google • 95 reviews
    "Chicago turned down the Lucas Museum in 2016 after an extensive campaign against it by the Chicago group known as Friends of the Parks, which later turned its ire and clout on the Obama Presidential Center, albeit with less success." - Chicago Tribune. This group is like that horrible friend that plays devil's advocate in every single conversation. Shameful.
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 E. M. R. P. 7 years ago on Google • 9 reviews
    Very opaque about their sponsorship, so safe assumption is that 'friends of the parks' are really 'friends of people who don't want to lose their pricey condo's lakefront view, even if it would mean building a beautiful museum for the public to use instead of keeping a dismal parking lot.' This is an organization for property owners and developers who want to keep the lakefront safe.....for lining their pockets. You can thank them for losing Chicago the amazing opportunity to add a world-class museum and beautiful public use space instead of 'preserving' that amazing lakefront parking lot I know many Chicagoans have grown to love. Friends of the Parks are only Friends to Property Developers' Pockets.
    18 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 eric p. 7 years ago on Google
    It should be criminal when one group ruins it for an entire city. Chicago had an opportunity to have another world class museum, and Friends of the Park ruined it. Why do Friends of the Park feel entitled to speak on behalf of everyone in Chicago? We didn’t elect them and they weren’t appointed. I thought putting a museum on top of a parking lot was a great idea.
    12 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 John H. 6 years ago on Google
    From Melody Hobson... As an African American who has spent my entire life in this city I love, it saddens me that young black and brown children will be denied the chance to benefit from what this museum will offer. As Chair of the Board of After School Matters, which serves 15,000 public high school students in Chicago and has more demand than can ever be met, I have seen firsthand what art can do to spur imagination and creativity, heal the soul and advance society—something so needed right now. This is a city of big shoulders and a metropolis that is second to none. In refusing to accept the extraordinary public benefits of the museum, the Friends of the Parks has proven itself to be no friend of Chicago. We are now seriously pursuing locations outside of Chicago. If the museum is forced to leave, it will be because of the Friends of the Parks and that is no victory for anyone.”
    11 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Luke G. 7 years ago on Google
    This group is largely responsible for redirecting "the largest civic gift in American history" to the citizens of Los Angeles. Friends of the park, please count your turning away of a free creative science museum, and the protection of a lakefront parking lot, as a victory and go away. I would much rather support progress and innovation during a very tough time for our city instead of whatever your agenda is.
    8 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Frankie V. 7 years ago on Google • 8 reviews
    I believe FOTP is an organization filled with passionate people doing only what they think is right. I commend them for their diligence and don't wish to speak any hate towards them. After looking up a few things about them it seems like they've done the city a lot of good in the past. That being said, I believe FOTP has made a mistake here. The location is currently a parking lot, and the designs of the new museum show it would have added more open green space. The argument that the structure would have obscured the view of the lakefront makes sense and in just about any other circumstance I think many Chicagoans would have agreed. Say if the project was a new luxury condo or something like that. But the Lucas Museum was something much more worthwhile than that. While we'll never know now the impact of the museum on the city, I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that the benefits of the museum would have far outweighed the negatives of a parking lot. Watching the news here can be incredibly depressing considering the frequency of gun violence stories. The news of the Lucas museum was a source of hope. It was something good and exciting. Now it's gone and I can't help but feel as though it's a kick to us Chicagoans while we're already down.
    6 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Marco 3 months ago on Google • 33 reviews New
    Not friends of the parks at all. Will turn down any development that is willing to bring money to the the city.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Todd Z. 3 months ago on Google • 5 reviews New
    Advocates against anything that would bring development to the South Side of Chicago. Should be renamed Friends of the White People’s Park.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 Jai B. 1 month ago on Google • 17 reviews New
    Corrupt collection of jagoffs that don’t do anything to help Chicago or its parks. Nobody really knows why they exist

  • 5/5 Sandra C. 2 years ago on Google
    Individuals aren't too cheerful with regards to this association ensuring a recreation center over an exhibition hall. It's the place of the association; I can't fault them for doing as such. The work they do is extraordinary, and I've had numerous great cooperations with this association.

  • 1/5 Neddie B. 7 years ago on Google • 1 review
    Such a shame that "Friends of the Park" will be remembered as the group who prevented a World Class museum from being built in the great City of Chicago. It's so unfortunate that you have deprived hundreds of Chicagoans job opportunities and the opportunity of the whole City of Chicago to be distinguished as having a renowned museum, the Lucas Museum. This museum would have been a great attraction for families and children to enjoy on the lakefront. You have done a great disservice to the City of Chicago and to the people of Chicago who actually live in the City and who most would have loved that museum on the lakefront. Shame on you. You maybe friends of the parks, but you are absolutely no friends to the hardworking people of Chicago.
    25 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 1/5 David H. 9 months ago on Google • 1 review
    Not friends at all, rather a bunch of wine-drinking North Shore types who care nothing about Chicago, just themselves - and who don't want the hoi polloi visible at all. The major damage wrought on the city by holding up the Star Wars museum was one of the worst crimes against the city in recent times. Probably ranks higher than the parking meter deal in terms of damage. They should be hounded out of Chicago. LA, where I live now, is very happy to have the billions generated by the new museum.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 2/5 IDGC C. 3 years ago on Google • 1 review
    4.26.26 What good it is, if you cannot accomplish opening of our parks and lake front. Mayor is a lawyer, technocrat with no human feelings. Break in barriers and get it opened. People have a right to enjoy good air and good outdoors. In a freedom we have, if you allow newer in Government before with no understanding or feelings of the people, we are losing our sense of normalcy. Mayor is not our parent, we are adult people. We are allowed to make decisions for ourselves. Mayor is wrong in telling us we segregate in big crowds at the Lake. It happens occasionally and most of the time people in single or two , may be with their dog. Mayor must be confronted with the evidence. Plain fact is she decides fancifully and then tries to find supporting argument. Friends of the park must take opening up public place by forcefully breaking the obstacles and going and enjoying or good few months of warm weather CHICAGOMAN SPEAKS


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