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Division Street North Branch Canal Bridge

Division Street Eastern Bridge

   

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Bridge Documented: August 12, 2006, October 2010, and September 10, 2012

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

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Key Facts

	Bridge Name	Facility Carried / Feature Intersected	Location	Structure Type	Construction Date and Builder/Engineer
!	Division Street North Branch Canal Bridge Division Street Eastern Bridge	Division Street Over North Branch Chicago River Canal	Chicago: Cook County, Illinois	Metal Rivet-Connected Pratt Through Truss, Movable: Bascule (Fixed Trunnion) and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed	1904 By Builder/Contractor: Roemheld and Gallery

Technical Facts

Rehabilitation Date	Main Span Length	Structure Length	Roadway Width	Main Spans	Approach Spans	NBI Number
1992	173 Feet (52.7 Meters)	260 Feet (79.2 Meters)	39 Feet (11.9 Meters)	1	4	16601526637

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Documentation For This Bridge

HAER Data Pages, PDF

This extremely significant historic bridge is slated for demolition and replacement!

Crossing the North Branch Chicago River Canal onto or off of Goose Island, this is one of the very first highway bascule bridges built in Chicago, constructed just a couple years after Cortland Street. Given the influence that Chicago's development of the bascule bridge had on bridge construction nationwide, this prototypical example of a Chicago type trunnion bascule bridge is nationally significant and its preservation should be given a paramount level of priority.

 Roemheld & Gallery of Chicago were both the designers and builders of the bridge. This bridge is similar to bridges like Cortland Street, but it has one very unusual and distinctive characteristic which sets it aside from these other bridges. The overhead sway/portal bracing for this bridge is composed of simple plate steel with decorative designs on them that includes an upside-down "Y" design with a circle around it that is used in Chicago to refer to the three branches of the Chicago River. The symbol became an officially designated symbol appearing in Chicago's municipal code as the "Municipal Device." Easy to miss unless you are looking for it, the symbol can be found on buildings and structures throughout the city including on a few other bridges. This Division Street Bridge however is the only bridge in the entire city that includes this design in its overhead bracing. The bridge is different from the other early bascule bridges including the bascule bridge in sight of this one also on Division Street, which have a more intricate network of built-up sections of v-laced and latticed steel for bracing. The plates with the Municipal Device symbol on this bridge are an interesting and decorative element that adds a lot to the bridge.

Some authors and historians have criticized the earliest bascule bridges including this one as lacking aesthetics. And while indeed, bridges like this may have not been in keeping with the aesthetic desires of the time in which they were built, two things are clear today. First, in today's world of simplistic bridges, bridges such as this do have aesthetic value in the context of the modern world. The complex trusses made up of equally complex components like built-up beams with v-lacing and lattice offer an intricate geometric beauty that is not found in any form of modern bridge. The early bascule bridges of Chicago, like this bridge, have very tall trusses with overhead bracing, and this unavoidable design catches the attention of travelers and lets them know in no uncertain terms that they are crossing a bridge. This characteristic is lost on most modern bridges. In the context of the modern world, these elements have a positive effect on the aesthetic qualities of the road and location they serve. In the case of the Division Street bridge, the decorative designs found on the overhead bracing only add to the aesthetic qualities of the bridge. These designs are remnants of a different era of aesthetics, quite different from the type of aesthetics found on Chicago's bascule bridges that were built in the 1920s and 1930s for example. In the late 1800s, bridges were often metal truss bridges that lacked curved beams and did not have a very graceful design. This did not mean that the bridges were not beautiful or lacked aesthetic qualities, however. In this period, a more heavy reliance was placed on adornments like finials, portal cresting, and decorative builder plaques. Generally aesthetic enhancements to the actual bridge structure was often limited to the use of decorative bracing which might have attractive curved designs, or cutout shapes (like those found on the Division Street Bridge). The purpose of all these enhancements was to accent and decorate the bridges. In contrast, in the 20th Century, the use of concrete in bridge construction gave engineers the ability to create bridges that had graceful arches, with decorative elements cast directly into the concrete as well. Concrete also allowed for more streamlined and simplistic bridge designs. This along with general changes in architectural trends (like Art Deco) led to significant changes in what an "aesthetically pleasing" bridge was thought to be. This focus on streamlining, curves, and a generally graceful appearance is also evident in the later examples of Chicago bascule bridge.  The Division Street Bridge thus appears at the end of one era of architecture and before the new era had really managed to take hold in Chicago.

Historic Bridges of Chicago and Cook County Browse Bridges In Google Maps This special map has bridge markers colored by bridge movable type. Complete Bridge List

Chicago and Cook County are home to one of the largest collections of historic bridges in the country, and no other city in the world has more movable bridges. HistoricBridges.org is proud to offer the most extensive coverage of historic Chicago bridges on the Internet.

Chicago / Cook County Bridge News

May 15, 2013 - The Ashland Avenue Bridge over North Branch Chicago River has been recommended for Chicago Landmark designation by the Chicago Art Deco Society.

April 30, 2013 - Illinois Landmarks has included Chicago's Bascule Bridges as one of their Top 10 Most Endangered Historic Places. View The Official Page.

April, 2013 - The replacement of the outer trusses of the northern Wells Street Bridge bascule leaf is underway. The outer trusses of the southern bascule leaf has already been completed.

April 2013 - Spring Bridge Lifts Are Ongoing! The bridge lift schedule is available here.

Washington Boulevard Bridge - This bridge celebrates its 100th Anniversary on May 26, 1913! Click Here To View A Commemoration Article By ChicagoLoopBridges.com! (Alternate PDF Format)

General Chicago / Cook County Bridge Resources

Chicago's Bridges - By Nathan Holth, author of HistoricBridges.org, this book provides a discussion of the history of Chicago's movable bridges, and includes a virtual tour discussing all movable bridges remaining in Chicago today. The book includes dozens of full color photos. Only $9.95 U.S! ($11.95 Canadian). Order Now Direct From The Publisher!

View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Overview of Chicago Bascule Bridges (HAER Data Pages, PDF)

Chicago Loop Bridges - Chicago Loop Bridges is another website on the Internet that is a great companion to the HistoricBridges.org coverage of the 18 movable bridges within the Chicago Loop. This website includes additional information such as connections to popular culture, overview discussions and essays about Chicago's movable bridges, additional videos, and current news and events relating to the bridges.

Additional Online Articles and Resources - This page is a large gathering of interesting articles and resources that HistoricBridges.org has uncovered during research, but which were not specific to a particular bridge listing.

Photos and Videos: Division Street North Branch Canal Bridge

Available Photo Galleries and Videos

Click on a thumbnail or gallery name below to visit that particular photo gallery. If videos are available, click on a video name to view and/or download that particular video.

 

	Structure Overview Original / Full Size Photos	A collection of overview photos that show the bridge as a whole and general areas of the bridge. For the best visual immersion and full detail, or for use as a desktop background, this gallery presents the photos for this bridge in the original digital camera resolution.
	Structure Details Original / Full Size Photos	A collection of detail photos that document the parts, construction, and condition of the bridge. For the best visual immersion and full detail, or for use as a desktop background, this gallery presents the photos for this bridge in the original digital camera resolution.
	Structure Overview Mobile Optimized Gallery	A collection of overview photos that show the bridge as a whole and general areas of the bridge. View the photos for this bridge in a reduced size which is useful for mobile/smartphone users, modem (dial-up) users, or those who do not wish to wait for the longer download times of the full-size photos. Alternatively, view this photo gallery using a popup slideshow viewer (great for mobile users) by clicking the link below. Browse Gallery With Popup Viewer
	Structure Details Mobile Optimized Gallery	A collection of detail photos that document the parts, construction, and condition of the bridge. View the photos for this bridge in a reduced size which is useful for mobile/smartphone users, modem (dial-up) users, or those who do not wish to wait for the longer download times of the full-size photos. Alternatively, view this photo gallery using a popup slideshow viewer (great for mobile users) by clicking the link below. Browse Gallery With Popup Viewer
	Bumpercam: Eastbound Crossing Full Motion Video	Note: The downloadable high quality version of this video (available on the video page) is well worth the download since it offers excellent 1080 HD detail and is vastly more impressive than the compressed streaming video. Streaming video of the bridge. Also includes a higher quality downloadable video for greater clarity or offline viewing.

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