By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation on Thursday revealed six finalists in a public contest to name the 50-ton boulder unearthed beneath O’Hare International Airport’s airfield.
More than 2,900 name submissions poured in after the contest launched in September, according to a city news release. The public can now vote on the finalists through 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2.
The six finalists are Sweet Stone Chicago, No ORDinary Rock, Chicago Rocks, O’Rock, Orchard Rock and Da Rock.
“Chicagoans have always had a special way of putting our own stamp on the places and things that make this city special,” Johnson said in the release. “This contest is a fun opportunity to bring that same creativity and the spirit of Chicago to O’Hare while making this unexpected discovery part of O’Hare’s story for years to come.”
The boulder was discovered about 30 feet below the surface during excavation of O’Hare’s South Detention Basin, a project enabling construction of New Concourse D and New Concourse E as part of the ORDNext terminal development program. A professional geologist identified the rock as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock composed primarily of the mineral dolomite. It measures approximately 11.5 feet wide and 7.5 feet tall.
CDA Commissioner Michael McMurray leaned into the theme.
“Chicago answered our call with thousands of creative names, and we’ve chipped away at that list to reach six finalists,” McMurray said in the release. “Now we’re asking the public to weigh in on this 50-ton decision. Whether it’s a close race or a landslide, we’re ready to give this larger-than-life discovery a name worthy of our city.”
The winning name will be announced across O’Hare’s social media channels and featured as part of a boulder exhibit outside the airport’s Multi-Modal Facility at 10255 W. Zemke Road.
The contest has drawn attention since the department first invited the public to submit names in September, when officials informally referred to the massive slab as “the O’Hare bean.” The naming effort has tapped into a broader civic engagement tradition in a city known for its attachment to public landmarks.
Members of the public can vote using the online ballot available through the city’s website.
