Sky Ride

Coordinates41°51′39″N 87°36′41″W / 41.860916°N 87.611525°W / 41.860916; -87.611525
Carriesfairgoers in suspended 36 passenger cars
CrossesCentury of Progress exhibition grounds, downtown Chicago
LocaleChicago, Illinois
Official nameCentury of Progress Exhibition Sky-Ride
Characteristics
DesignTransporter Bridge
Total length3200 ft (975 m) including 2 600 ft (182 m) backstays
Longest span1,850 ft (560 m) (some sources say 2000 ft)
Clearance above628 ft (191 m) high towers
Clearance below190 ft (58 m) above fairgrounds
History
OpenedFebruary 2, 1933
ClosedNovember 1934
Location
Map

The Sky Ride was an attraction built for the Century of Progress 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. It was a transporter bridge (with a design similar to an aerial tramway or gondola lift) designed by the bridge engineering firm Robinson & Steinman that ferried people across the lagoon, Burnham Harbor, in the center of the fair. It was located near Northerly Island, but was demolished after the Fair, having carried 4.5 million passengers. The Sky Ride had a 1,850-foot (560 m) span and two 628-foot (191 m) tall towers, making it the most prominent structure at the fair. Suspended from the span, 215 feet (66 m) above the ground, were rocket-shaped cars, each carrying 36 passengers.