Coordinates | 41°51′39″N 87°36′41″W / 41.860916°N 87.611525°W |
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Carries | fairgoers in suspended 36 passenger cars |
Crosses | Century of Progress exhibition grounds, downtown Chicago |
Locale | Chicago, Illinois |
Official name | Century of Progress Exhibition Sky-Ride |
Characteristics | |
Design | Transporter Bridge |
Total length | 3200 ft (975 m) including 2 600 ft (182 m) backstays |
Longest span | 1,850 ft (560 m) (some sources say 2000 ft) |
Clearance above | 628 ft (191 m) high towers |
Clearance below | 190 ft (58 m) above fairgrounds |
History | |
Opened | February 2, 1933 |
Closed | November 1934 |
Location | |
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.