Aldermen want ‘Pope Leo XIV Northerly Island’ and ‘Obama Way’ at Trump Tower

Chicago aldermen proposed ordinances Wednesday to rename Northerly Island after Pope Leo XIV and a strip of Wabash Avenue in front of Trump Tower as 'Barack Hussein Obama Way,' despite city rules against naming public spaces after living people. Backers argue the law can bend for the city's most famous residents, with Ald. Brendan Reilly citing an online petition and a prior removal of a Trump honorary designation.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...Chicago’s two most famous https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/28/pope-leo-mayor-brandon-johnson-vatican/ residents may soon get https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/26/obama-foundation-uncertainty-development-presidential-center/ a special nod from the city. Aldermen proposed ordinances Wednesday to rename Northerly Island after Pope Leo XIV and marking part of Wabash Avenue — the strip in front of Trump Tower — “Barack Hussein Obama Way.” RELATED: Obama’s star-studded concert: The 250th party many want instead of Trump’s The two efforts face one critical roadblock: City and Park District rules prevent streets and parks from being named after living people. But for Chicago’s pope and Chicago’s president, the law can bend, its backers say. “Nothing’s impossible in the city of Chicago,” said Ald. Raymond López, who proposed the “Pope Leo XIV Northerly Island” name. López noted Mayor Brandon Johnson has aired the idea of naming a street after the pope. The Southwest Side alderman wants to go bigger, he said. “I think the best thing that we could do is to put Pope Leo in the center of the city of Chicago, resurrect the use of Northerly Island,” he said. “Use it as a tool to educate people about Illinois’ most famous Catholic.” Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said his “Barack Hussein Obama Way” proposal would honorarily rename only a strip of Wabash Avenue downtown. He credited an online petition that called for the renaming of the road that includes Trump Tower. The petition has garnered 24,301 signatures in a month and a half. “This is something I actually joked about years ago, now it seems more appropriate,” he said. “This seems like the fastest, easiest way to accomplish the goal.” But while he called the possibility of officially renaming all of Wabash Avenue “attractive,” he said his analysis led him to believe it would be “quite costly” to install new road signs, update GPS systems and print new maps, among other changes that would be needed. His ordinance would include a clause waiving the requirement that streets only be named for the dead, he said. He pointed to the City Council’s 2016 decision to remove a “Trump Plaza” honorary designation near the president’s riverfront hotel. “The goal is to make a statement that, not only did we remove the honorary street designation for Donald Trump years ago — that was my initiative — we think better to honor Barack Obama,” he said. “Since we can’t remove the sign from the tower, we can certainly put President Obama’s name on the street.” Ald. Lamont Robinson, 4th, proposed renaming Columbus Drive after Obama in 2024, though the proposal went nowhere and did not appear to have Obama’s support. Reilly said he has not spoken with Obama or his staff about his new proposal. The Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park is set for an official opening ceremony Thursday.