Northerly Island visitor center reopens after 2023 blaze, offering new outdoor programs

The Northerly Island visitor center reopened Monday, nearly a year and a half after it closed due to a fire in November 2023.

The lobby was fully restored and windows, complete with bird collision film, were replaced, the Chicago Park District said. The former Meigs Field terminal structure also received electrical and lighting upgrades.

The building had been boarded up and closed since November 28, 2023, when firefighters put down a blaze.

A fire Sunday in the Northerly Island Visitor Center forced the closure of a city harbor agency office in the building. In an earlier incarnation, the building was used as a hangar at Meigs Field.

The Northerly Island visitor center was closed after a fire in November of 2023. The former Meigs Field terminal reopened Monday with a slate of new programs for outdoor enthusiasts.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times file

“I am extremely grateful to the public for their patience during the restoration process and to our team for helping to reactivate this community asset that offers more access to nature-based programming opportunities,” said Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, the general superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District.

The visitor center will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Annual programs such as Family Fishing and Birding is for Everyone bird walks will be available again, as well as a new fly fishing program in May and June and the return of the Chicago Park District Camping Gear Library in July.

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