From “Cesspool” to “The Greatest Improvement of Its Kind”

Abstract

Wacker Drive is a staple of Chicago’s modern road network, allowing two levels of cars to zip along the Chicago River and connect to nearby highways and streets. The roots of this driving experience date to 1909, when Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett proposed a comprehensive network of riverside boulevards in their Plan of Chicago. Engineered for traffic efficiency and draped with Beaux Arts garb, Wacker Drive introduced a new functional and architectural rationale to the riverfront. Charting its evolution from a casual idea to one of the Plan’s major accomplishments, this article positions Wacker Drive as an agent of architectural and civic change for Chicago.