This virtual talk will take a look at a quintet of designers who impacted bridge design in Chicago and throughout the United States. Free for members.
Noted Chicago Bridge Designers
Photo by Barry Butler.
While it would be hyperbole to call Chicago “a city of bridges,” it certainly has its fair share crossing the Chicago River. The city has more moveable bridges than any other in the United States. Multiple waterways, car and pedestrian traffic, and heavy railroad infrastructure require bridges of all shapes and sizes in the city--some of which have amazing histories often overlooked.
Behind the bridges are their designers: Ralph Modjeski and Joseph Strauss began their storied careers and opened their first offices in Chicago before receiving national and international acclaim; John Alexander Low Waddell and John Greiner were already famous before they erected structures in Chicago; an architect and urban planner, Edward Bennett, worked to instill the principles of the City Beautiful movement in his bridge designs which was contained in the Chicago Plan of 1909.
This virtual program will discuss these designers and the functional beauty these bridges bring to Chicago.
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Speakers:
Ron Becker became a CAC docent in 2019. He is also a docent at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. This became his calling in retirement after a career as a health actuary. He enjoys researching and writing about the architects and built environment throughout the Chicagoland. Ron has lived in Oak Park for more than 50 years, and this is where he and his wife raised their six children. Ron is delighted to include two great-grandsons in his family.
