95th Street Bridge

Seen in this postcard view is the second of the three bridges at 95th Street which have connected the communities of South Chicago and the East Side. There have been three bridges at this location over the years. The first was built in approximately 1890 and was a swing bridge. The next bridge, shown in this view, at this location was one of the first (1903) fixed trunnion bascule bridges to be designed in Chicago. The trunnion bascule bridge is often referred to as a “Chicago Bridge.” This postcard view of the bridge looks toward Lake Michigan and was taken from the west bank of the river, the South Chicago side. Beyond the bridge near the mouth of the Calumet River were the steel mills, South Works of United States Steel on the west side of the Calumet River and Iroquois Iron, later Youngstown Steel, on the East Side of the river. The current bridge opened in 1958. It is famous for the scene from the Hollywood movie “Blues Brothers” in which the Bluesmobile jumped over the partially opened bridge.