Wabash Street (Irv Kupcinet) Bridge over Main Stem

1933 Historic American Buildings Survey from WindyCity

(Historic Bridges, Bridge Hunter, HAER, Satellite) Chicago Loop Bridges regular page is not very informative. But CLB's recent 85th Anniversary page has a lot of history. Specifically, it opened to traffic on December 20, 1930.

The Trump Building that is northeast of the bridge is where the Sun-Times building used to be. That is where Irv used to work. The Sun Times building was built 1955-1958 (Chicago Architecture)





Update:

Photo from LC-USF33-016147-M3 from LOT 1073, Jul 1941
Drawbridge, Chicago, Illinois

Dale Pohto shared
E.G. Mathiott... Photo from LC-USF33-016147-M3 from LOT 1073, Jul 1941, Chicago, Illinois
<a long link>

Mike Harlan shared

Philip Wizenick provided a better exposure in a comment on a post

Historic Chicago posted
Bridges up, passing the Wabash Ave bridge (1949)

I was confused if the above was the Wabash Street Bridge because it has no bridge tender houses. But the following photo confirms the Wacker Drive structure on the left at this curve. The boxcars would be parked in C&NW's State Street Yard.

Photo from HAER ILL, 16-CHIG, 133--1

1. GENERAL VIEW OF BRIDGE FROM MICHIGAN AVENUE LOOKING WEST. - Chicago River Bascule Bridge, Wabash Avenue, Spanning Chicago River at North Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Cook County, IL

[The HAER survey includes several interior photos including the machinery that raises the bridge. Those photos are also on the Bridge Hunter page.]

Jeff Davies posted

North Wabash at the Chicago River.
Chicago. Year Unknown.

Photo courtesy of Skyscraper City.
Cameron Silver Does anyone know why Wabash has the kink, rather than go straight across the river??Dave Lutzow Most likely it originally followed the swampy bank, which was later filled in to build on. Mark Reiner, what do you think?Mark Reiner I am not certain, but I think you are right Dave. It would have cost a lot more to straighten that out.