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| Wells Street Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wells Street Bridge |
| Caption | Wells Street Bridge in Chicago, Illinois |
| Carries | Chicago Transit Authority Brown and Purple Lines, vehicular and pedestrian traffic |
| Crosses | Chicago River |
| Locale | Chicago, Cook County, Illinois |
| Owner | City of Chicago |
| Designer | Thomas Fletcher, Chicago Department of Public Works |
| Design | Double-leaf movable bascule bridge |
| Material | Steel, stone, concrete |
| Opened | 1922 |
| Heritage | Chicago Landmark |
Wells Street Bridge is a historic double-leaf bascule bridge spanning the Chicago River in central Chicago, Illinois. Built to carry the Chicago Transit Authority elevated lines as well as road and pedestrian traffic, it links the Loop with the Near North Side and is noted for period engineering by the Chicago Department of Public Works and associations with the city's rapid transit expansion. The bridge has been the focus of preservation efforts and appears in cultural works related to Chicago architecture and urban imagery.
The bridge site near the river has long been a nexus for Jean Baptiste Point du Sable-era trade, early Alfred Caldwell landscape movements, and 19th-century infrastructure growth tied to the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Early crossings included timber and iron swing bridges influenced by designs used on the Erie Canal and by engineers associated with the Union Bridge Company. The current structure replaced earlier movable spans as part of post-World War I municipal projects under Mayor William Hale Thompson and city engineers aligned with nationwide modernization trends exemplified by the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916. Construction commenced amid the 1920s building boom alongside developments such as the Merchandise Mart and the Wrigley Building, reflecting interplay between transit planners like Samuel Insull and civic institutions including the Chicago Transit Authority's precursors.
Designed as a double-leaf bascule system influenced by the Chicago style of movable bridges, the bridge incorporated counterweights and trunnion bearings similar to those patented by Joseph B. Strauss and refined by designers at Chicago Bridge & Iron Company. Steel fabrication was carried out by firms associated with the American Bridge Company and erection coordinated by contractors with experience on projects like the Michigan Central Railroad Bridge and the Van Buren Street Bridge. Architecturally, masonry abutments and operator houses reflected the Prairie School-era attention to form, invoking aesthetic dialogues with structures by Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham visible along the riverfront. The bridge opened in 1922 after coordination with utilities managed by Commonwealth Edison and transit expansions championed by industrialists like J. Ogden Armour.
As a trunnion bascule, the bridge uses massive steel leaves pivoting on bearings, balanced by concrete and steel counterweights—an arrangement paralleling mechanisms on the La Salle Street Bridge and the Kinzie Street Bridge. Key components include plate girders, riveted trusses, pin-connected assemblies, and operator machinery housed in towers reminiscent of those on the 100 North LaSalle Street skyline. The structural design accommodated dynamic loads from elevated trains of the Chicago "L", heavy streetcars historically operated by the Chicago Surface Lines, and vehicular traffic, requiring calculations informed by standards from the American Association of State Highway Officials and archival practices discussed by engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign. Hydraulic and later electric drive systems were integrated with control consoles similar to systems developed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and maintenance regimes aligned with procedures used on movable bridges across New York City and Philadelphia.
The bridge serves the Chicago Transit Authority Brown and Purple Line elevated services, connecting Merchandise Mart area transit with downtown stations such as Clark/Lake station and Jackson station (CTA). Historically it accommodated cable car routes early in Chicago's transit history and streetcar lines operated by the Chicago Surface Lines before conversion to buses and rapid transit. Vehicular lanes link arterial streets including Wells Street and provide pedestrian walkways that align with riverfront promenades near attractions like Chicago Riverwalk, Navy Pier, and the Magnificent Mile. Freight and waterway considerations involve coordination with the United States Coast Guard and navigation interests centered on the Great Lakes shipping network.
Preservation efforts have involved the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, the Chicago Landmarks commission, and advocacy by organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Renovations have addressed corrosion remediation using methods recommended by the American Institute of Steel Construction and rehabilitation strategies consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Major work phases coordinated with the Chicago Department of Transportation included mechanical overhauls, replacement of original riveted seams with high-strength bolting following guidelines taught at schools like Northwestern University, and repainting campaigns funded in part through municipal bonds and grants facilitated by representatives from Cook County Board and federal programs influenced by legislation akin to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. Restoration balanced operational requirements of the Chicago Transit Authority with conservation principles championed by preservationists linked to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Architecture Center.
The bridge has featured in photographic studies by artists associated with the Chicago Imagists movement and in publications from the Prairie School of Architecture revival. It has appeared in films set in Chicago and in documentaries produced by the Field Museum of Natural History and WTTW (TV station), serving as backdrop for civic parades and events tied to Chicago River dyeing ceremonies for St. Patrick's Day. Notable incidents include celebratory openings and temporary closures during infrastructure campaigns coordinated with the Mayor of Chicago's office, as well as appearances in works examining urbanism by scholars from University of Chicago and Harvard Graduate School of Design. The bridge remains a touchstone for studies of 20th century American engineering and continues to be celebrated in tours organized by the Chicago Architecture Foundation and cultural programming by Chicago History Museum.
Category:Bridges in Chicago Category:Chicago Landmarks