![]() ![]() ![]() In all, more than 1.4 million people paid the 50-cent fee to take a ride on the wheel. As passengers traveled through the air, they could see out over Lake Michigan and glimpse new vistas of the city itself. For many, the Ferris wheel took them as high up as they’d ever been-and the views did not disappoint. Soaring to a height of 264 feet, the original Ferris wheel offered fairgoers a 10- to 20-minute ride unlike anything they’d experienced before. In 1893, Ferris completed the attraction and the Ferris wheel was born. After spending much of his own money on safety studies, Ferris finally convinced Burnham that the structure was possible. It was not the first amusement wheel, but the use of a reduced steel framework had Burnham doubting a structure of this scale could ever work. Of the numerous proposals for Chicago’s spectacle attraction, nothing captured the imagination quite like the “Chicago Wheel.” Ferris’s enormous vertical structure, which rotated around a center axle, featured 36 gondolas capable of holding up to 60 people each-for a total capacity of 2,160 people. Burnham and his peers hoped that it could rival the Eiffel Tower, which had been built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Ferris brought the idea for an enormous metal wheel to Daniel Burnham, the fair’s lead architect, after Burnham requested an iconic structure. The Ferris wheel owes its famous design to George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., a structural engineer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who inspected steel for the fair. But today’s wheels are very different from the original wheel, which originated in Chicago during the World’s Fair of 1893. Today, hundreds of Ferris wheels tower over cities and fairgrounds around the world. ![]() More than 120 years later, Chicago adds to its legacy with a new Ferris wheel on Navy Pier.īy Marko Dumlija, Research Intern The Origins of the Chicago Wheel ![]() Since its inception, EXPO CHICAGO has remained dedicated to supporting local, regional, and international arts communities, with strong regional support throughout the Greater Midwest, both US coasts, and maintained a growing international commitment from Europe, Asia, and Latin America.One of Chicago’s most prevalent but overlooked cultural contributions is not a building-it’s the Ferris wheel, first unveiled at the 1893 World’s Fair. The city of Chicago has proudly hosted a global contemporary and modern art exposition for nearly forty years and serves as the site of the first international art fair in the Americas. The exposition draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while engaging the region’s contemporary art community and collector base.ĮXPO CHICAGO will host the eleventh edition of the in-person exposition on April 11- 14, 2024 at Navy Pier. Over the next several months, EXPO CHICAGO will be actively working with global partners and Chicago’s renowned hospitality community to prepare for next year. In 2023, EXPO CHICAGO hosted 170 leading international exhibitors at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. EXPO CHICAGO, The International Exposition of Contemporary & Modern Art, features leading international galleries alongside the highest quality platform for contemporary art and culture. ![]()
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