This 90-minute tour takes a comprehensive…Chicago’s unique architecture has co-starred in movies with Ferris Bueller, Batman and the Blues Brothers…Discover how a dirt road known as Pine Street transformed into a "Paris on the Prairie" and later into…Learn about Chicago's world class architecture from real Chicagoans. DuSable Bridge is a defining image of Chicago, whether shown in movies, on television, or in news broadcasts. The project is significant because often railings are ignored during bridge preservation projects.
DuSable was the first non-native settler in Chicago.Most recently, the city of Chicago demonstrated not only their commitment to maintain this landmark historic bridge, but to restore and increase the historic integrity and beauty of the bridge in a unique restoration project executed in 2009. In 2010, it was the end point for the Stanley Cup parade. This project actually removed the modern and relatively mundane pedestrian railings on the bridge and placed replicas of the original ornate railings that were present when the bridge was built and had been replaced some years ago.
The project has dramatically increased the historic appearance and beauty of the bridge. Although the statements validity cannot be verified, one photo caption describes the bridge as "the most crowded vehicular bridge in the world." What was certainly true however, was the need for the Michigan Avenue Bridge.Chicago and Cook County are home to one of the largest collections of historic bridges in the country, and no other city in the world has more movable bridges. This earlier bridge, the first at this crossing noted in the Annual Reports of the Department of Public Works, was built in 1856, and was described as an "all iron bridge." As such, this bridge would have been among the earliest iron bridges built in the United States. The extent of this bottleneck can be seen in two of the above photos, where what could only be described as a horse and buggy traffic jam is visible. It is the most well-known of the Chicago bascule bridges. All Rights Reserved. Chicago's DuSable Bridge The Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River , a bascule bridge (a bridge where the spans can be tilted upward in order to allow tall ships to pass) was opened to the public in Chicago at 4:00 in the afternoon. As is clear from the photos of two models created, the final design of the sculptures ended up being different than those seen on the models.Above: The infamous Rush Street Bridge, the predecessor to the Michigan Avenue Bridge. Located a short distance west of Michigan Avenue, Rush Street and its bridge were an extremely busy bottleneck for Chicago. DuSable lived near the site of the bridge. Trunnion bascule bridges, like this one, are distinctive features of Chicago's infrastructure. This bridge was destroyed in a collision with the Schooner Granger on November 22, 1883. It has 4 ornate bridge tender houses. The French came to the North American mid-continent region in the 17th century.
Information could include technical inaccuracies or errors of omission. Our tours let you explore the city and its architecture in a new way—by land and water. His trading post was located near where the NE bridgehouse is today. Like most bridges over the Chicago River, the DuSable Bridge is movable, which allows boats to pass underneath. Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, during their 1673 Mississippi Valley expedition, though probably not the first Europeans to visit the area, are the first in the written record to have crossed the Chicago Portage and traveled along the Chicago River. Information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Michigan Ave. and E. Wacker Dr.Want a quick introduction to Chicago’s magnificent architecture? Opinions and commentary are the opinions of the respective HistoricBridges.org member who made them and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone else, including any outside photographers whose images may appear on the page in which the commentary appears. In 1884, a third iron swing bridge was built, this time by Rust and Coolidge, and the bridge was 240 feet long with a width of 59 feet. The 1856 Rush Street Bridge was rebuilt in 1864 by Fox and Howard, destroyed in the fire of 1871, and replaced in 1872 by another iron swing bridge, built by the Detroit Bridge Company. It is one of the most photographed landmarks in the city. HistoricBridges.org does not bear any responsibility for any consequences resulting from the use of this or any other HistoricBridges.org information. The composition of the trusses are comparable to other bridges in the city, except that this bridge is one of the uncommon common double-deck bridges in the city. Main Plaque. DuSable, the son of a French pirate and a Haitian slave, established the area's first trading post in 1779.