Michigan Avenue Bridge and skyline, Chicago, Illinois, circa 1940

Subjects: Bridges & Dams Street Scenes Town & City Views
Card type: Linen
Date: c. 1930 (White Border)

Back of Michigan Avenue Bridge and skyline, Chicago, Illinois, circa 1940, c. 1930 linen postcard — Back

About this postcard

A view up the Chicago River toward the Michigan Avenue Bridge, framed by tall office buildings and the white Wrigley Building tower on the right, with the domed 333 North Michigan Avenue building and the Carbide & Carbon tower beyond. The bridge shown is the double-deck bascule span opened in 1920, carrying Michigan Avenue across the river and linking the Loop with the Near North Side; the surrounding towers date the scene to roughly the 1930s–40s. The card is a typical linen-stock Chicago view of the era.

Postcard Details

Message

No message detected

PublisherGerson Bros.

549—MICHIGAN AVE. BRIDGE, CHICAGO, ILL. 42878 --- 42878 MICHIGAN AVE. BRIDGE, Chicago. This Bridge is the only Double-Deck Jack-knife bridge of its kind in the world. Heavy traffic is run on the lower deck and lighter traffic is sent over the upper deck of the bridge. The bridge has a clearance of 220 feet. The length of span from center of supports is 256 feet and from end to end of the lifting machinery 340 feet. The weight of the structure is approximately 10,000 tons. Pub. by Gerson Bros., Chicago, Ill METROCRAFT EVERETT MASS POST CARD THIS SIDE IS FOR THE ADDRESS PLACE STAMP HERE

Addressed to

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Postcard record

Publisher	Gerson Bros.
Series	549
Condition	Very good
Place mentioned	Michigan Ave. Bridge, Chicago, IL
Notes	Linen-textured stock with a white border; production number 42878 (Curt Teich style) in the lower right corner. No postmark, stamp, address, or message — unused card. Linen-textured stock with a visible crosshatch grain; divided back with "THIS SIDE IS FOR THE ADDRESS" and a "PLACE STAMP HERE" box; printed descriptive caption and Metrocraft (Everett, Mass.) imprint date it to the linen era, ca. 1930s–40s. Light toning/soiling at edges, no creases.

Cite this card

Michigan Avenue Bridge and skyline, Chicago, Illinois, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1930. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/michigan-avenue-bridge-and-skyline-chicago-illinois-circa-19. Accessed October 24, 2026.