Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway, Calumet River Bridge, Spanning Calumet River, east of Chicago Skyway (I-90), Chicago, Cook County, IL
Summary
See also HAER IL-161 for additional documentation.
Significance: The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway's two parallel vertical-lift spans over the Calumet River (of which one survives), and two neighboring spans built for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, are the largest multiple installation of Waddell and Harrington's patented design. Differences between the two pairs of bridges demonstrate disparity among American railroads' building codes, as well as Waddell and Harrington's refinement of the vertical-lift form. This site's many bridges built in close proximity is an artifact of intense competition among trunk lines entering Chicago from the east, and perhaps the greatest physical monument to the railroad capital of North America.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N649
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N965
Survey number: HAER IL-156
Building/structure dates: 1912-1913 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1965 Subsequent Work
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