Pigs Will Not Fly at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago

The city denied an application for an art installation that would have tethered giant golden pigs to a barge on the Chicago River, temporarily interrupting the view of the sign on the infamous Trump sign.

1 minute read

July 29, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Trump Sign

Aneta Waberska / Shutterstock

Leonor Vivanco reports: "The plan to install four golden, pig-shaped balloons to block the Trump Tower sign in a one-day protest planned for September was deflated by the city, which denied the design company a permit, the firm said."

"The 30-foot-by-15-foot helium balloons — part of the proposed art installation called 'Flying Pigs on Parade: A Chicago River Folly' and designed by Chicago-based New World Design — were intended to be tethered to a construction barge in the Chicago River to cover President Donald Trump's last name on the tower's southeast façade," adds Vivanco.

The demonstration not only takes direct action against the president, it also digs up the ghosts of a pre-campaign kerfuffle between Trump and Chicago Tribune Architecture Critic Blair Kamin over the size and placement of the Trump sign on Trump International Hotel & Tower, located along the Chicago River.  

Mathew Messner reported the news about the status of the art installation the day before Vivanco's report. Messner's sources at New World Design claim the permitting issues is only a temporary setback. "The design team is still optimistic about the future and says it is continuing the campaign to realize the project," according to Messner.

Friday, July 28, 2017 in The Architect's Newspaper

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

3 hours ago - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

People boarding a bus on Maryland's Orange Route.

Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project

The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.

1 minute ago - Mass Transit

A brick building with a circular sign with the Airbnb logo hanging off of it.

Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin

The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

One side of the image shows a Chicago bus stop without a bench, the second image shows the bus stop with a yellow and blue bench.

Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago

A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.

2 hours ago - Block Club Chicago

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.