The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroad bridge at the north end of Goose Island, where the rail line crosses North Ave. is - or was - in my opinion one of the most distinctive elements of "Chicago" in the City. I've been passing this bridge as long as I've been alive and while much (if not all) of the industrial character of the neighborhood has changed drastically, it has always remained.
Well, not quite - a few years ago the city renovated the bridge to make it more friendly for pedestrians to access Goose Island (something that would have never been necessary for large parts of Chicago's history). While I'm not a huge fan of the renovation - I prefer my industrial age artifacts to be suitably aged and weathered - it's far better than if they'd torn the bridge down or replaced it with something else.
The Proctor and Gamble factory and the other industrial behemoths of Lincoln Park aren't coming back, but at least this is still here.
 |
| When I got into photography seriously, I knew this would be one of the first places I'd want to shoot. |
 |
| The bridge today after the renovation. |
 |
| Trees and high tech industries on Goose Island. Historically unthinkable. |
 |
| City in a Garden indeed. |
 |
| The view from the refurbished bridge. |
 |
| If this is still active rail, I can't imagine that it will be much longer. |
For further information on this bridge, check out this
link.
No comments:
Post a Comment