Ogden Avenue is an arterial highway in Chicago, running southwest from the near west side. The street was closed to traffic between North Avenue to Armitage Avenue in 1967. Another block was closed in 1983, south from North Avenue to Blackhawk Street. Finally by 1993, the viaduct carrying it over Goose Island was demolished, effectively cutting the route back to Chicago Avenue.
Images: Chicago Architectural Photo Company, January 1931.
Before it was extended in 1924, Ogden terminated in at Randolph street in Union Park. The extension over Goose Island was done haphazardly; Ogden traffic had to divert to Halsted before continuing north. This was corrected with a massive viaduct improvement project completed in 1934.
Left: Pre-improvement pontoon bridge across the north branch of the Chicago River. View north from the south bank of the River.
Right: Birds eye view looking south from North Branch Street.
Left image: Chicago Aerial Survey Company, June 1930. Right image: Chicago Architectural Photo Company, January 1931.
Left: Aerial view showing the planned path of the viaduct.
Right: View looking southwest from Rees (now Evergreen) Street, the north limit of the viaduct improvement along the center line of Ogden Avenue.
A drawing of the viaduct section from 1933. A cropped version of this image serves as the header on our home page.
Image: 2004 CTA Historical Calendar.
Division Street, taken looking west toward Ogden
(above) and Halsted (below) in the early 1940s.
Aerial view of Ogden Avenue in Lincoln Park, facing southwest. Ogden is the larger street to the left in the image. This photo was found in a city-published pamphlet, and probably was taken in the late 50's or early 60's.
Image: Sasaki plan.
Artist's rendering of a planned commercial area at Larrabee and North. Ogden Avenue was controversially removed from Lincoln Park in 1967.
Ogden Mall, an urban renewal project built over Ogden's former right of way, in the mid-seventies.
Images © Ron Schramm 1992.
Left: Halsted Street looking north. The photo was taken just south of the Halsted/Division intersection, near the viaduct's west staircase.
Right: View of Division/Halsted intersection, facing east on Division. The Green extension high-rises are seen clearly.
Images © Ron Schramm 1992.
Bridge houses. Note the graffiti on the one at right.
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Images © Ron Schramm 1992. |
Left:Rendered in a graphic style similar to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," this plaque and others like it adorned the Ogden viaduct's bridge houses.
Right:Detail of railing along the Ogden viaduct. Note the use of the Municipal Device "Y"s as decoration.
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Images © Ron Schramm 1992.
The roadbed of the viaduct over Goose Island, facing east with the Cabrini-Green highrises prominently visible. The Hickory Street ramp is behind the building in the left image. The level of disrepair is evident.
Image © Ron Schramm 1992.
The south entrance to the viaduct just after it was closed (left), and roughly the same scene in 2007.
 Images © Ron Schramm 1992.
Demolition of the viaduct in progress.
 Image © Ron Schramm 1992.
Half of the eastern bridge deck during demolition.
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Historic American Buildings Survey or Historic American Engineering Record, HAER ILL, 16-CHIG, 148-1.
Aerial photograph of Division and Halsted, 1999. Ogden's path is clearly visible. The area south of Clybourn has since been developed with low-density housing.
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