Mayor Rahm Emanuel today announced that the City will proclaim October 13, 2018 to be Legacy Walk Day in Chicago to celebrate the completion of the Legacy Project’s mission to fill all 40 spaces on the Legacy Walk. Today, the Legacy Walk dedicated its 39^th and 40^th bronze biographical memorials on the museum walk in recognition of the achievements of beloved transgender icon Marsha P. Johnson and immortal Russian Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

“The Legacy Walk is a beacon the city’s pride in our robust LGBT community and signifies that the entire city is a safe and welcoming place for everyone,” said Mayor Emanuel. “In recognition of the countless contributions made by LGBTQ Chicagoans and reaffirming our unwavering belief in equality for all, I proclaim today, Legacy Walk Day in Chicago.”

In June, Mayor Emanuel announced the city would seek Landmark Status for the Legacy Walk in Boystown. With its Northalsted “Rainbow Pylon” Streetscape and conjoined outdoor museum, the half-mile Legacy Walk remains the only outdoor LGBTQ museum in the world.

“Twenty years ago the installation of the North Halsted Pylons gave rightful recognition to our neighborhood as a center of LGBT life, culture and entertainment,” said Alderman Tom Tunney. “For the last six years, the Legacy Project has added real meaning to the pylons, educating our community and visitors on the lives and work of LGBT leaders in history. I am pleased to join with the Mayor today in landmarking these installations so that future generations can learn these stories and enjoy our neighborhood.”

The Legacy Walk was submitted to the Chicago Landmarks Commission for consideration for Landmark Status. Landmark Status will protect the steel pylons and outdoor museum that define the Boystown streetscape. It is being considered for its unique cultural, historical and social heritage, its celebration of individuals who significantly contributed to the development of Chicago, and its distinctive physical presence as a visual feature of the Boystown neighborhood, among other criteria.

The formal process to designate the Legacy Walk as a Chicago Landmark will be led by the Planning, Historic Preservation & Sustainability Bureau of the Department of Planning and Development. Historic preservation staff will spend the next several months researching the area's architectural and historical significance and provide a recommendation to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. After a public review process, the Landmarks Commission will make its final recommendation and forward the decision to City Council for approval.

“Today we see the fulfillment of a vision – first conceived 31 years ago – to create an open-air museum recognizing the contributions LGBT people have made to world history and culture,” said Victor Salvo, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Legacy Project. “The completion of the Legacy Walk is an enormous achievement that simply would not have happened without the support of hundreds and hundreds of people. The City of Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Commissioner of Human Relations Mona Noriega, and Alderman Tom Tunney and every city department worked with the Legacy Project faithfully to move this concept to its completion in only seven years – a startlingly short period of time, given theLegacy Walk’s size, complexity, and costs. Today it stands as a world-class, award-winning institution – the only place of its kind on earth. We wish to express our humble gratitude to the City, to all of our donors and volunteers, and to everyone who stops and takes the time read the bronze memorials and learn about an aspect of human history most people are not aware has been missing. We look forward to the next chapter in the Legacy Walk’s evolution – because this is only the end of the beginning.”

The Legacy Walk was first conceived in 1987 to provide a safe place where LGBTQ youth could learn about the historic achievements of people like themselves. In 1991 the city created the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame to celebrate LGBTQ Chicagoans, the first municipally funded institution of its kind. In 1998 the Chicago dedicated the iconic “Rainbow Pylons” in Boystown as the first, and still the only, permanent, architecturally defined streetscape redevelopment in celebration of the unique cultural and historical contributions of the LGBTQ community. On Coming Out Day in October 2012, Mayor Emanuel dedicated the Legacy Walk, adding kiosks and plaques commemorating the diverse history and prominent leaders of the LGBTQ community. The bronze plaques honor key LGBTQ figures throughout history, many of whom are overlooked by history books, including Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, British mathematician Alan Turing and NASA astronaut Sally Ride. This year, the Legacy Walk will dedicate its 39th and 40th bronze memorials to fill the remaining two slots available in the museum.

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