Congrats to those who identified the subject of this old photo as the historic Halsted Street Lift Bridge (its replacement shown above, looking west). Spanning the Sanitary & Ship Canal at Halsted b/w Cermak & Archer, or more specifically at Lumber Street, the bridge was the world's first significant application of vertical lift engineering. Its engineer was genius of movable bridges John Alexander Low Waddell. The Halsted Bridge was one of Waddell's earlier works, completed in 1894. It gave way to newer technology allowing for a wider navigable channel in 1932 with the construction of a Bascule Bridge. It's towering presence and raw power must've paired well with the canal's lively industry and busy cargo traffic a century ago. Thankfully, the canal still sports some very cool old railroad swing bridges.
·Hint: This Scenic Movable Bridge Gave Way to a Classic Bascule [Curbed Chicago]
·John Alexander Low Waddell [Structure Mag]
·Railroads and Chicago Swing Bridges [Forgotten Chicago]
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