| William Wells Street 200 West | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Wells_Street_(Chicago).jpg) A sign for Wells Street. The former Chicago Stock Exchange is in the background. | |
| Former name(s) | 5th Avenue |
|---|---|
| South end | 65th Street/Wentworth Avenue in Chicago |
| North end | Lincoln Avenue in Chicago |
| Other | |
| Known for | William Wells |
Wells Street is a major north–south street in Chicago. It is officially designated as 200 West, and is named in honor of William Wells, a United States Army Captain who died in the Battle of Fort Dearborn.[1] Between 1870 and 1912, it was named 5th Avenue so as not to tarnish the name of Wells during a period when the street had a bad reputation.[2]
Some downtown blocks of Wells Street are located beneath the Chicago 'L' train system. The first Crate & Barrel store, which opened in 1962, was located on Wells Street.[3]
Wells Street was named in Time Magazine's 1976 article "The Porno Plague".[4]
- ^ Hayner, Don; McNamee, Tom (1988). Streetwise Chicago: A History of Chicago Street Names. Chicago, IL: Loyola University Press. p. 132. ISBN 0-8294-0597-6.
- ^ "Ask Chicagoist: Wells Street or 5th Avenue?".
- ^ Sweeney, Brigid (2014-07-14). "Former Crate & Barrel CEO Barbara Turf dies". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
- ^ "The Porno Plague". Time Magazine. 5 April 1976. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2010.