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]
| William Wells Street 200 West | |
 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 |
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]
Route description
editWells Street starts off as a frontage road of I-90/I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway) carrying southbound traffic from 63rd Street to 65th Street near the Rock Island District line[5] and from 47th Street to 59th Street. Wells Street then becomes a disjointed residential street throughout the South Side, with one of the gaps being occupied by Wentworth Gardens and Rate Field and another being occupied by I-55.[6][7]
Wells Street returns as a throughfare below Roosevelt Road. The street is in proximity with British International School of Chicago, South Loop and LaSalle Street Station as well as River City and the former site of Grand Central Station on the other side. Between Ida B. Wells Drive and Erie Street, Wells Street only serves southbound traffic. Between Van Buren Street and Lake Street, the street finds itself under the Loop Elevated tracks; the elevated tracks continue north as the North Side main line all the way toward Hubbard Street, where it shifts one block west. Wells Street crosses the Chicago River at the Wells Street Bridge.[8]
North of the Chicago River, Wells Street is adjacent to Merchandise Mart. A bike counter is present at Chicago Avenue, which was installed in December 2022.[9][10] Wells Street is in the vicinity of the Moody Bible Institute and Walter Payton College Preparatory High School at Chicago Avenue and Oak Street respectively. In the Old Town neighborhood, Wells Street serves a series of retail shops, bars, and restaurants.[11] As Wells Street approaches Lincoln Park, the street ends at Lincoln Avenue just west of Clark Street.[8]
Intersections
editThe following road junction list only shows Wells Street on the North Side and the downtown area.
The entire route is in Chicago, Cook County.
| mi[8] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | Lincoln Avenue | Northern terminus | ||
| 0.3 | 0.48 | North border of the Near North neighborhood | |||
| 0.8 | 1.3 | Division Street | |||
| 1.3 | 2.1 | Chicago Avenue | |||
| 1.5 | 2.4 | Ontario Street | To Kennedy Expressway | ||
| 1.6 | 2.6 | Ohio Street | |||
| 1.65 | 2.66 | Grand Avenue | Westbound road only; one-way road | ||
| 1.7 | 2.7 | Illinois Street | |||
| 1.7 | 2.7 | Kinzie Street | Merchandise Mart | ||
| 1.9 | 3.1 | Wells Street Bridge | |||
| 2.0 | 3.2 | Upper Wacker Drive | |||
| 2.1 | 3.4 | Randolph Street | Westbound only; one-way road | ||
| 2.2 | 3.5 | Washington Street | Eastbound only; one-way road | ||
| 2.3 | 3.7 | Madison Street | Westbound only; one-way road | ||
| 2.5 | 4.0 | Adams Street | Westbound only; one-way road | ||
| 2.6 | 4.2 | Jackson Boulevard | Eastbound only; one-way road | ||
| 2.8 | 4.5 | To Jane Byrne Interchange | |||
| 2.8 | 4.5 | Harrison Street | |||
| 3.2 | 5.1 | Cul-de-sac near Roosevelt Road | Current southern terminus | ||
| Wentworth Avenue | Future southern terminus (under construction through The 78) | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
Transportation
editThe western portion of the Loop Elevated runs on top of Wells Street from Van Buren Street to Lake Street. Tracks continue to run above Wells Street as the North Side main line before shifting west at Hubbard Street. Wells Street is in proximity with LaSalle Street Station at Ida B. Wells Drive.[12]
Wells Street serves southbound CTA bus route 36 from Van Buren Street to Harrison Street. Bus route 36 usually ends at LaSalle Street Station; in some cases, the bus route travels further west toward a Greyhound bus terminal. Southbound bus route 37 runs along Wells Street from Chicago Avenue to Van Buren Street, where it continues west toward Clinton station. Southbound bus route 125 runs along Wells Street from Ontario Street to Upper Wacker Drive, where it then heads west toward Ogilvie station, Union Station, and a Greyhound bus terminal. CTA bus route 65 briefly runs along Wells Street as Grand Avenue becomes a one-way road for westbound traffic.[12]
In the South Side, Wells Street serves bus route 24 as a southbound frontage road of I-90/I-94 (Dan Ryan Expressway). Bus routes 15 and 51 use Wells Street after leaving 47th station; bus route 59 uses Wells Street after leaving Garfield station.[12]
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ "Overview map of Wells Street (63rd to 65th)" (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ "Overview map of Wells Street (Pershing to 59th)" (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ "Overview map of Wells Street (34th to 26th)" (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ a b c "Overview map of Wells Street (downtown area)" (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ Ionescu, Diana. "Chicago Gets its First Bike Counter". www.planetizen.com. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ Greenfield, John (16 December 2022). "The wait is over! Chicago now now has a bike counter at Chicago/Wells in River North". chi.streetsblog.org. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Old Town Visitors Info". The Old Town Merchants & Residents Association.
- ^ a b c "RTA System Map" (PDF). Regional Transportation Authority. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
External links
editMedia related to Wells Street (Chicago) at Wikimedia Commons