Tobey Prinz

Tobey Prinz (1911-1984) was a woman of action. Former Cook County Clerk David Orr described her as a “whirlwind, this tornado of a woman.” She walked the picket lines and learned organizing skills as a member of the American Federation of Teachers. When she and her neighbors saw rents increasing but services decreasing in their Rogers Park apartment buildings, she co-founded the Rogers Park Tenants Committee.

As real estate developers eyed the Rogers Park lakefront land for new high-rises, Ms. Prinz led a “Save the Beaches” campaign. Supporters sent letters containing little bags of sand to Mayor Richard J. Daley's office with notes reading, "Please don't leave us with a handful of sand.” The campaign led to the Lakefront Protection Ordinance. Thirteen beaches in the Rogers Park/Edgewater neighborhoods were protected from development, one of which is named for Tobey Prinz. 

Why this stop? The Red Line Jarvis stop is walking distance to several of the beaches saved by Prinz.

Connect — Visit a North Side beach, take off your shoes and feel the sand. Realize that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy this if it hadn’t been for the work of Tobey Prinz.

Get involved—Join with OneNorthside as it works on a number of housing issues on Chicago’s North Side.