The famous Marina Towers in downtown Chicago were originally built back in 1964 and are said to be the first urban post-war residential high-rises to be developed in the United States. Located at 300 N. State in Chicago’s fabulous River North neighborhood, Marina Towers, which are also dubbed the “Corn Cob Towers” thanks to their unique design, were actually first built as apartment residences, but later converted into condominiums in the late 1970s. In all, Marina City Towers stand 61 stories high and combined include 896 individual condo residences. Common building amenities include a fitness center, door service, a rooftop deck on the 61st floor that features incredible views of the city and Chicago River, and on-site garage parking, which is clearly visible from the streets below.
View from Room 1319 at the historic LondonHouse Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton.
1. The Wabash Avenue Bridge (officially, Irv Kupcinet Bridge) over the Chicago River was built in 1930. Standing west of the Michigan Avenue Bridge and east of Marina City, the bascule bridge connects the Near North Side with "The Loop" area.
The single-deck, double-leaf bascule bridge was designed by Thomas Pihlfeldt and built by the Ketler and Elliot Company. The American Institute of Steel Construction awarded it the "Most Beautiful" bridge in 1930.
The control houses for controlling bridge operations are on the northwest and southwest corners of the bridge. The control houses are identical in design. In 1961 the control houses were upgraded to allow single man operation. Electrical modernization also accompanied this upgrade. While the northern control house is no longer in use, it still stands.
2. The Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge, also known as the State Street Bridge, is a bridge that carries State Street across the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States.
3. The Dearborn Street Bridge over the Chicago River was built in 1962. It connects the Near North Side with "The Loop." The American Institute of Steel Construction honored the bridge with the 1963 "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge" award in the Movable Span category. The first drawbridge was built at Dearborn street in 1834 when Chicago had a population of 350. It was the primary crossing point over the Chicago River for the original town.
4. The Clark Street Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, connecting the Near North Side with The Loop via Clark Street. The current bridge, which was completed in 1929, is the eighth bridge to span the river at this point.
5. The La Salle Street Bridge (officially the Marshall Suloway Bridge) is a single-deck double-leaf trunnion bascule bridge spanning the main stem of the Chicago River in Chicago, Illinois, that connects the Near North Side with the Loop area. It was constructed in 1928 at a cost of $2,500,000 by the Strobel Steel Constructing Company.
The bridge was part of a scheme to widen LaSalle Street and improve access from the Loop to the north side of the river that had been proposed as early as 1902. The design of the bridge, along with those for new bridges at Madison Street, Franklin Street, and Clark Street, was approved in 1916.
6. The Wells Street Bridge is a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, which was built in 1922. Standing east of the Franklin Street Bridge and southeast of the Merchandise Mart, the bridge connects the Near North Side with "The Loop". The bridge is double-decked, the lower deck carrying three lanes of traffic south over the river with sidewalks on both sides of the street. The upper deck serves as a bridge for the Chicago Transit Authority's Brown and Purple lines. Bridge tenders' houses for controlling the bridge are on the northwest and southeast corners of the bridge.
The bridge was constructed during the first term of William Hale Thompson. The Chicago Plan Commission and Chicago Art Commission provided design input to architect E. H. Bennett.
The bridge was completely rebuilt 2012-2013 by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The two leaves (north and south) were built off-site and floated on the river to Wells Street for installation. The other half of the bridge was rebuilt in place – the two portions closest to each river bank, containing the counterweights for the bascule bridge.
The second period of the reconstruction that affects Chicago Transit Authority train service on the upper level began at 10 pm April 26, 2013 and ended before the morning rush hour Monday May 6, 2013. The north leaf of the bridge was installed in the nine-day period, again floating the section on the Chicago River from its construction site to the bridge. The bridge reopened fully on November 21, 2013, when the lower level of the bridge opened to vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. The bridge tender houses are also part of the rehabilitation of the bridge.
7. The Franklin–Orleans Street Bridge, commonly known as the Franklin Street Bridge, is a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was built in October 1920, and is located directly southwest of the Merchandise Mart. Connecting the Near North Side with "The Loop," is at the junction of the branches of the river, lying directly west of the Wells Street Bridge. It carries four lanes of traffic in the northbound direction, and sidewalks are available on both sides of the bridge.
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company was the contractor for the substructure, and the Ketler–Elliot Company was the contractor for the superstructure. Original electrical equipment was installed by C. H. Norwood. The bridge is an example of a trunnion bascule bridge, with each half of the roadway is cantilevered out from shore abutments. The bridge is extremely efficient to operate.
The bridge provided a new connection to the southern banks of the river and aided in westward expansion along Wacker Drive.
(Wikipedia)
