Unspecified/General

Carrying Michigan Avenue across the main branch of the Chicago River, the DuSable Bridge is one of the most photographed crossings in the city and a pivotal point in its growth. Opened to traffic in 1920 as the Michigan Avenue Bridge, it is a double-deck bascule bridge, the so-called Chicago style, whose two leaves can be raised to let tall vessels pass; its completion turned the old Pine Street into the grand boulevard now known as the Magnificent Mile. The bridge was a long time coming. It was first proposed in Daniel Burnham's landmark 1909 Plan of Chicago, but legal battles delayed construction until 1918, and decorative work continued until 1928. Four ornate bridge-tender houses anchor its corners, two of them carrying bas-relief sculptures that depict scenes from the city's early history, including the rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1871 and the era of its first settlers. In 2010 the structure was renamed in honour of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a fur trader of African and French descent who established the area's first permanent homestead and trading post near the north end of the bridge in the 1780s, and who is recognised as Chicago's founder. A plaza and his original homesite sit beside the northern bridgehouse, where one of the towers also holds a small museum about the river and its bridges. For visitors the bridge is both a thoroughfare and a viewpoint, lined with crowds taking in the river, the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower and the boats passing below. It is a designated Chicago landmark within a protected historic district, a frequent backdrop for photographs and films, and a natural starting point for a walk along the riverfront or up the Magnificent Mile. One of the southern towers houses the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum, where visitors can watch the giant gears that swing the leaves open. The bridge is raised on a published schedule each spring and autumn to let sailboats move between the river and Lake Michigan, briefly halting Michigan Avenue traffic. Steps lead down to the Chicago Riverwalk below, and the surrounding stretch takes in Pioneer Court, the Wrigley Building and the start of the architectural boat tours.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: North Michigan Avenue at the Chicago River, Chicago, IL, United States

Opening Date: 14/05/1920