South Works

[1] The mill complex covered a total of 600 acres (240 ha), part of which had been reclaimed from Lake Michigan with molten slag.

[1] Beginning in the 1970s, the facility began downsizing due to a shifting market for steel, and by the end of the decade the number of workers at the plant had declined to 10,000.

[1][3] Since the steel mill shut down, the area has stood mostly vacant, with only a single brick building and the remains of a ship dock standing.

[5] U.S. Steel, the developer McCaffrey Interests, and the City of Chicago proposed an ambitious plan for an entirely new housing and commercial complex on roughly 470 acres (190 ha) of the site.

[4] Known as the Chicago Lakeside Development, the proposed plan "includes zoning approvals for approximately 13,575 single family dwellings and high-rise units, 17,500,000 SF of retail, the newly-extended South Lake Shore Drive, 125 acres of open space/parks with bike paths, a 1,500-slip boat marina and a new high school.

[7] In late January 2017 it was announced that U.S. Steel had agreed upon the sale of South Works to a joint venture between Barcelona Housing Systems and Emerald Living/WELink.