Most of the roughly 6,300 rock carvings along Chicago’s 26 miles of lakefront parks are clustered in eight main locations, from Calumet Park on the south to Osterman Beach on the north. About 200, however, can be found scattered in other spots. These include four locations where the rocks are still part of the old limestone revetments protecting the Lake Michigan shoreline — Olive Park and the 12th Street, 57th Street and 63rd Street Beaches. Elsewhere the rocks that once lined the shore have been relocated, serving now mostly as decorative elements for lakefront parks.
These sites may be scattered, but they include a few of the most stunning carvings surviving along the lake, including the “Hair Washers” and Egyptian figures at Fullerton Avenue, the famous mermaid of Oakwood Beach and a remarkable eight-faced carving just to the south.
The Fullerton Avenue rocks were relocated in 2016 when parkland there was extended slightly into the lake. Many carvings were lost when the limestone revetment was replaced with concrete, but some impressive ones survived intact, saved at the request of the project’s landscape architect.
The shoreline at Oakwood Beach was rebuilt in the 2000s as well, and most of the limestone blocks were lost. Several with carvings survived, though, and can be found at the beach’s edge. The mermaid to the south of the beach was originally carved on a lakeside rock around 39th Street. It was moved a couple of times before landing in its current location two blocks south. It’s one of the most accomplished carvings surviving along the lake, and one of the few whose full story is known. Click here to read more about the mermaid and see more images.
Just a little south of the mermaid is a semi-circular seating area centered around an elaborately carved rock that includes eight faces, a tree and what looks like a vacuum cleaner. The carving appears to be relatively recent (i.e., less than 20 years old) and also appears to include among the faces the Three Stooges, though that is admittedly speculation. As with most of even the most spectacular lakefront carvings, who made this one and why is unknown.
There is lots more to see, including a number of lively paintings on Northerly Island and a 2016 fantasy-themed carving at 63rd Street Beach. These sites are collected in the galleries below.
North Side
Leone Beach, Fullerton Avenue, North Avenue, Olive Park
Burnham Park
12th Street Beach, McCormick Place, Northerly Island, Oakwood Beach
Jackson Park
57th Street Beach, 63rd St. Beach
Find lakefront carvings by location.