McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum

Hidden gem adjacent/​connected to the Michigan Ave. bridge (southeast corner). For $ 5 (it’s an NPO so you can always donate more should you feel inclined) you get a 5-​story tour of how the bridge (s) on the river operate. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Chicago, there is absolutely nothing cheaper than getting a $ 5 tour in the heart of downtown.

This museum is nice but pretty small. It is cool to see the views out of the upper windows.

It was locked up, we didn’t get to check it out which was a bummer.

We stumbled on this one Sunday when we took the Water taxi from China town to the Gold Coast and were walking to the CSO. We’d seen the entrance down by the Riverwalk but they had the side door open for FREE tours on Sunday up on top. We had a little time and spent a wonderful 45 minutes touring the 5 levels of this fascinating bridgehouse and museum.
Still a working bridge, it is raised and lowered on a schedule during the Spring/​Summer & Fall. MASSIVE counterbalance gearing is observable on the lowest level. Complete history of how Chicago was raised from a bog marsh. Unexpectedly interesting. Self guided as far as I know.
No charge on Sunday but there is a donation bucket and a gift shop selling t-​shirts etc as you exit out onto the Riverwalk.
NO parking of course, and didn’t look accessible at all for the differently abled, FIVE stories of concrete narrowish shared stairs. Do it. No FM heels.

Worth the visit. Not going to blow your socks off. but it is nice to see something unusual and specific to Chicago. It is also nice to be reminded that you are in the midwest. and something about the nice nature of the tour… and the friendly person at the desk is very midwestern. Thank You for letting us experience this unique place.

Very very cool little museum inside the Michigan Ave bridge. The entire museum is situated vertically inside one of the four bridge tours. I’m guessing the vast majority of people walking/​driving by have no idea this place exists.
‘sLots of exhibits about Chicago’s and the river’s history. The views from the top are pretty and give you a different perspective than most are use to. The lower portion where you can see the bridge gears is also cool although I wish I could’ve been inside when it was in action.
Ticket to get in costs $ 4 although it happened to be free during my visit. The museum is not that big but variety is always the spice of life and this fits that bill.

I’M IN A BRIDGE… TOWER!
My little one had never seen a bridge go up or down. So we went to go check out the bridges. She had the time of her life getting to experience this. Most people feel annoyed when stuck by a bridge but its kind of cool standing next to the bridge when its in action.
We then headed to the Bridge Tower. I had never been in one and this would be the ultimate to cap off our bridge experience.
The entrance is located at the River Walk level on Michigan and Wacker. Once you walk in you immediately are directed towards the giant gears that open and close the bridge. These things are massive and totally greased up. There is a fence around it but you can get up and close to it. Along the museum there are tons of signs telling you about the bridges and how the river shaped Chicago. My favorite was the Bridge Facts and Trivia. Did you know that the motor that runs the bridge is the equivalent to a 1950’s VW Bug? I was so shocked. I would have expected the motor to be bigger. But because of the counter weight of the bridge a massive motor is not needed to operate it.
Now I must warn you that there are stairs to climb, if you want to go to the top. So if you’re challenged by them, then this place may not be for you. But if you do decide to go up you will be able to read tons of facts. It is a self guided tour and you can go as fast or as slow as you want. So stop reading my review and start hiking up the 5 stories to the top!
Make sure you check out the windows for unique views from the different vantage points. There is a massive round window at Bridge Level with a great view of the Trump Tower. Keep heading up and you’re at the top and feeling like Rapunzel trapped in a tower. It is cool to see all of the cars driving by Michigan Ave and across the bridge. You can also see all of the boat traffic too. The Bridge Master sees everything from up here. The view up here gives you a 360 view of everything surrounding the bridge.
Once you are done you now need to make your way down the 5 stories to leave. I recommend you are careful because this is a shared staircase between up and down. It seemed really easy going up but on the way down we had to stop a lot for people coming up. It is challenging and I am sure I will not ever do this tour once I turn 60 because I am not breaking a hip in the Bridge Tower. Luckily I have a few years until that time, so I am hoping to come back again to experience the Bridge Tower.
The best part of my tour was the education. On the way to the Bridge Tower I taught my little one all about water and boats and how Chicago grew so fast because people and goods could use the rivers to travel here. Then seeing the bridges going up and down showed her how important the mobility of the bridges was back then. Finally we capped off our educational tour by being in the Tower. It was a fun experience and my little one loved every minute of it. I do recommend you try and visit on a Wednesday or a Saturday when the bridges are going up in the Fall to get the sailboats off of Lake Michigan for the Winter. I believe it makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

This is an awesome museum filled with rich history behind Chicago and its waterways. Bring your camera, as there are nice views from the top of the tower, and the gears on the bottom floor are pretty neat too. I loved all the information and old newspaper articles from early Chicago. Definitely makes you have an appreciation for the engineers who helped construct the waterways.

We had an hour to spare and were already on the riverwalk so we dropped by. This museum spans all the levels of the bridgehouse on Michigan Ave. It starts off explaining the mechanics of bridges and as you go up the levels it continues with the history of the River and its bridges and the City. My only tip? Don’t eat beforehand. There is a lot of talk about poop. Maybe more than required?
Museum: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Location: ⁴⁄₅

Surprisingly rich source of history hidden within a secret corner of the Chicago River! I got the Groupon for the tour since I didn’t know what was in there… an earlier Saturday morning tour was easy to accommodate and not too crowded. The museum spans the entire height of the southwest tower on the Michigan Ave bridge as well as taking you down to street level. Here you can learn about the rich and interesting history of the Chicago river, Chicago bridgehouses, and the types of bridges along the river. A walk west down the river and under the bridge is included. The docents were interesting and well informed. Some fascinating old photos and maps, including the horrid pollution of the river (even in current times)! A must for every Chicago resident!

This place is pretty awesome, and the bridge lift was really great!
My friend and I made reservations to see the first bridge lift of the season. The City canceled the lift, and I got an extremely apologetic call from the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum — so apologetic I almost felt bad that he had to call me. We had no problem rescheduling for the following week.
On the bridge lift day, we met Jim (the docent from the museum) at Lake Shore Drive and the river — apparently, if you take a cab, you should asked to be dropped off at the City impound lot rather than the intersection of Lower Wacker and LSD. Jim gave us a lot of background info, and we watched the Lake Shore Drive bridge go up for the three sailboats that were coming in for the winter. We headed west on the riverfront walking trail to the Columbus Drive bridge, and stood underneath it as it opened for the sailboats (I had no idea you could do that!). Our final stop was the McCormick Bridgehouse. Jim took us to the gear room at the base of the Bridgehouse and explained how bascule trunnion bridges work.
Unfortunately there was some sort of problem with the bridge — on the City’s end, not the Museum’s. We waited for over hour for the bridge to be lifted, and we spent tht time looking around at all of the exhibits (photos, diagrams, and explanations) in the Bridgehouse. The bridge finally went up, and was well worth the wait. I really liked standing near the gears and watching a piece of Michigan Avenue end up in a hole. It wasn’t too loud, which was very surprising.
After the bridge went down, we watched a few more bridges go up for the sailboats further down the river on our own. Overall, I highly recommend the bridge lift tour coordinated by the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum for anyone who is visiting Chicago or just likes bridges and local history.

I was an one of the river cruises when I saw this hidden museum and I knew I would like to check it.
Ok, this is not one of the most popular museums Chicago offers, however, it was very interesting. The museum is full of history regarding the various bridges though out the city including the bridge houses. There were many times, I have walked past these houses and didn’t notice that they were even there.
The day I went, they were offering a guided tour. The guide, Jim was great. He gave us the history about the styles of the houses and facts about the river.
There is so much to do along the river that I realized. Check out this museum.

Stumbled on this place after a boat architecture tour. What a great find and best four dollars I spent Chicago.
Terrific use of space to tell the history of the river and tour a bridge house in the perfect location

Tons of great info on the history of the river throughout about 5 floors — if you like to read. there is not much hands on anything to do or see. It’s all old photos and news paper clippings and written blurbs. I can only handle so much of that.
I really went to get different photographic perspectives. There are several places to get a very unique view of the river and architecture on your way up. You start out just above river level and end up looking down on Michigan Ave.
I will go back in the fall for the bridge tour.

This tiny little museum was pretty darn interesting! Yay!
Here, you can see the mechanics of a bridge lift while it is happening (not sure of all of the exact times, but 9 something in the morning on Saturdays is a time when all the bridges lift).
Throughout the museum is information about the Chicago River and its history. Very interesting stuff, some of which I knew, and some of which I was pleasantly surprised to learn! :)
What is best about this little 5 story skinny museum is the VIEWS. Being from the Chicagoland Area, I’ve been to this area along the river and Michigan Ave. countless times… but I never saw it from this vantage point.
And of course… when the bridge lifts… all the pretty sailboats are passing by… it’s quite beautiful to watch and photograph.
NOTE: The last reviewer was incorrect in saying this was a Mayor Daley pet project. Grassroots organization Friends of the Chicago River actually lease this spot for $ 1 dollar a year, and have revamped the place with heavy donation funding, and I believe it hasn’t cost the city much at all. So, this is a good thing in my eyes!!!
Definitely worth the $ 4 bucks! Go check it out!

I always wanted to explore one of the bridge houses along the river. I was walking by and saw the sign so I went down and checked it out. It’s so cool. It’s a hidden little gem right at Michigan and Wacker. It’s has lots of historical photo’s and really cool views from the different floors. It was a lot of fun to check out. My favorite part was the gear room! I think they do tours in there when the bridges go up.

If you’ve always wanted to go into one of the Chicago River bridgehouses downtown or to learn more about the Chicago waterway/​river system, this is an excellent little museum.
The main entrance is at riverwalk level, on the West side of the Michigan Ave. bridge along the South bank. Checkout the newly expanded riverwalk while you are here too, they did an excellent job on it, even though it was another multi-​million dollar Mayor Daley pet project. It is nice and if it brings enough people to all the new riverside cafes, it could eventually be worth the cost and then some.
On to the museum… the museum is very small, consisting of several levels inside the bridgehouse from the top observation level down to the lower depths below the bridge. Some highlights include going in the mechanical room that houses the engines and gears that raise/​lower the bridge. Very fascinating if you are into serious mechanical/​engineering stuff. Its fun to be all the way down there and hearing the thundering traffic on the bridge a couple of stories above your head. The various levels are filled with well-​done pictures, information, exhibits on the founding of Chicago, the river itself, how the movable bridges work, how the Chicago river was reversed, etc. Makes you truly appreciate the incredible engineering that goes into our sewer and waterway systems. Views of Michigan Avenue, the bridge and river are to be found on the top level. Bring your camera.

This is not a large museum by my standards, but I think it’s a brilliant idea and highly recommended for anyone that is interested in bridges and how they work. I come from the San Francisco Bay Area, a land of bridges, but none of which turn, swing apart, or go upwards, so this was definitely a cool thing to see. We didn’t get to see this on our trip, but you can actually go to the basement and watch the gears turn.
The staff is friendly and informative, and the walls are covered with photos and historical information. At the top of the museum (it’s about 5 floors but not a difficult climb), there are windows overlooking the river and the skyline.

Friends of the Chicago River runs this little-​known gem. It’s in the southwest corner of Michigan and Wacker, down on the riverwalk.
It’s not a big space, but as you go up the stairs the walls tell the story of the Chicago River over the years, and of Chicago itself.
Two things to know about: 1) during the season, they have a «Fish Hotel» outside, which is basically a bunch of plants and things for fish to chill at in the river. You can stand over the river and see the little guys, it’s kind of cool. 2) You can find out when bridge lifts take place and these are the best times to go. You can watch from the top of the bridgehouse (a neat spot to watch the boats go by, and to watch the people watching the boats), or you can go to the basement and watch the giant gears turn as they make the bridge go up. They sound like dinosaurs.