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. More than 120 years later, Chicago adds to its legacy with a new Ferris wheel on Navy Pier.
byMarko Dumlija, Research Intern
The Origins of the Chicago Wheel
Today, hundreds of Ferris wheels tower over cities and fairgrounds around the world. But today’s wheels are very different from the original wheel, which originated in Chicago during the World’s Fair of 1893. The Ferris wheel owes its famous design to George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., a structural engineer who was born in Galesburg, Illinois and later relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who inspected steel for the fair. Ferris brought the idea for an enormous metal wheel to Daniel Burnham, the fair’s lead architect, after Burnham requested an iconic structure. Burnham and his peers hoped that it could rival the Eiffel Tower, which had been built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
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. It was not the first amusem*nt wheel, but the use of a reduced steel framework had Burnham doubting a structure of this scale could ever work. After spending much of his own money on safety studies, Ferris finally convinced Burnham that the structure was possible. In 1893, Ferris completed the attraction and the Ferris wheel was born.
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. For many, the Ferris wheel took them as high up as they’d ever been—and the views did not disappoint. As passengers traveled through the air, they could see out over Lake Michigan and glimpse new vistas of the city itself. In all, more than 1.4 million people paid the 50-cent fee to take a ride on the wheel. Despite the popularity of the attraction, the Ferris wheel met with a string of financial issues after the fair. It was disassembled and moved to North Clark Street, where it operated from 1895 to 1903. The wheel was then sold and rebuilt in St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1904 World’s Fair. Finally, in May of 1906, a demolition company used 200 pounds of dynamite to destroy the wheel. Its remnants were sold for scrap metal.
Reinventing the Wheel
Almost exactly 110 years after the original wheel was demolished, a new Ferris wheel opened on Navy Pier in 2016. Part of Navy Pier’s larger redesign for its centennial celebration, this new amusem*nt ride replaced an earlier wheel installed in 1995. Both the 1995 and the 2016 wheels were manufactured by Dutch Wheels. Known as the Centennial Wheel, the new attraction measures 196 feet in height and has 42 gondolas. While this Ferris wheel won’t contend for the “world’s tallest” title, it is currently the sixth-tallest wheel in the United States. But bigger isn’t always better. The Centennial Wheel makes up for its average stature with new amenities, including air-conditioned gondolas and high-tech safety glass.
Another big change for the Navy Pier wheel is the passenger experience. As opposed to the 1995 wheel’s red gondolas, the new gondolas don Navy Pier’s signature blue and offer individual seating. Navy Pier’s previous ride operated on a continuous rotation system, meaning that passengers boarded while it was still moving. But the new wheel stops to allow passengers to exit and board each gondola. During this pause, passengers aboard other gondolas can capture views of the city from different heights or interact with a multimedia system that displays facts about the surroundings.
Go for a Spin
Although the original wheel was not preserved, Ferris’s idea lives on at small town carnivals and at major landmark attractions across the globe. And the new Ferris wheel at Navy Pier shares a few similarities with the original: its new gondolas are larger and enclosed and its new height is closer to the original’s dazzling 264 feet. This summer, take part in Chicago’s history with a ride on the new Ferris wheel. Imagine that it’s 1893 and you’ve never been up so high. The view out over the lake is just as beautiful today as it was all those years ago.
FAQs
1893. The first Ferris wheel came to Chicago during the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Named after designer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., an engineer from Pittsburgh, Ferris brought the idea of the wheel to Daniel Burnham. The wheel was 264 feet tall and illuminated by 2,500 Edison incandescent lights.
What happened to the 1893 World's fair Ferris wheel? ›
The wheel itself closed in April 1894 and was then dismantled and stored until the following year, when it was rebuilt in the Lincoln Park, Chicago, neighborhood.
What is the history of the Ferris wheel? ›
The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago; although much smaller wooden wheels of similar idea predate Ferris's wheel, dating perhaps to the 1500s.
How many people did the original Ferris wheel hold? ›
Ferris' wheel was 264 feet high and powered by two 1,000-horsepower engines that Ferris also designed and built. The wheel held 36 cars, each the size of a train car and the attraction was able to hold a total of 2,160 passengers at a time.
What city has the oldest Ferris wheel in the world? ›
A colossus that's not in any rush: The wheel of the Giant Ferris Wheel turns at a speed of 2.7 km/h. This Viennese sight is the oldest ferris wheel of its type still in existence anywhere in the world. And famous throughout the world.
What is the oldest Ferris wheel in the United States? ›
Ferris wheels have been turning for more than 130 years, the first one constructed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, designed by George Washington Gale Ferris.
How many people died at 1893 World fair? ›
One of the deadliest fires in Chicago's history erupted in the Cold Storage Building at the World's Fair on July 10, 1893. The estimated 50,000 bystanders' cheers for firefighters would soon fall silent as they watched the conflagration spread to the nearby buildings and kill thirteen firefighters and four civilians.
Why was the 1893 World fair destroyed? ›
Then, just before the gala closing ceremonies were to be held, Mayor Carter Harrison was assassinated. Finally, shortly after the fair's close, a fire swept through the fairgrounds, destroying many of the buildings. The fair was gone, but not its influence.
Is there anything left of the 1893 Chicago World's fair? ›
Today, the fair's structures are largely gone but much of the landscape architecture remains. Jackson Park includes nearly 600 acres of idyllic green space that stretches through three Chicago neighborhoods.
What is a fact about the Ferris wheel? ›
The original Ferris Wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as a landmark for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The generic term Ferris wheel is now used for all such structures, which have become the most common type of amusem*nt ride at state fairs in the United States.
It was disassembled and moved to North Clark Street, where it operated from 1895 to 1903. The wheel was then sold and rebuilt in St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1904 World's Fair. Finally, in May of 1906, a demolition company used 200 pounds of dynamite to destroy the wheel.
What does a ferris wheel symbolize? ›
The Ferris wheel could be symbolic of the “circle of life.” It may represent the ups and downs of life that create the total life experience.
Does the original Ferris wheel still exist? ›
Following the closure of the Expo, the "Ferris" wheel was dismantled and moved to North Clark Street, Chicago and eventually to St Louis Missouri in time for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. On 11 May 1906 it was finally demolished using a 200 lb dynamite charge and sold for scrap.
What happened to the 1904 Ferris wheel? ›
The wheel was demolished and the parts sold for scrap. Photo courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society. This photo shows the wheel from the 1904 World's Fair under construction with the scaffold, legs, axle and most of the wheel in place.
Who bought the Chicago Ferris wheel? ›
The Track purchased the wheel - which was dismantled in September after a 20-year run at Chicago's Navy Pier - for less than $2 million from Dutch Wheels, a manufacturer from the Netherlands that also is installing a new 196-foot Ferris wheel in conjunction with the Navy Pier's 100th anniversary.
What happened to the Ferris wheel from the 1904 World's fair? ›
The wheel was then sold and rebuilt in St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1904 World's Fair. Finally, in May of 1906, a demolition company used 200 pounds of dynamite to destroy the wheel. Its remnants were sold for scrap metal.
What is the history of the Archer Avenue in Chicago? ›
As a main traffic artery, it has largely been replaced by the modern Stevenson Expressway. The street was named after the first commissioner of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, William Beatty Archer. One early map of Chicago (ca. 1830) listed what may have been the future Archer Road as "The Road to Widow Brown's".
Where did the Old Navy Pier Ferris wheel go? ›
The Ferris wheel, seen in September 2015, had been a centerpiece at Navy Pier since 1995. It's now headed to Branson, Mo., as the pier replaces it with a bigger wheel. PUBLISHED: January 29, 2016 at 11:00 p.m. | UPDATED: August 23, 2019 at 6:36 p.m.
What did Ferris Bueller do in Chicago? ›
They visit the Art Institute of Chicago, use deception to lunch at an upscale restaurant, go to a Chicago Cubs baseball game, and attend the Von Steuben Day Parade, with Ferris jumping on a float and lip-syncing to "Danke Schoen" by Wayne Newton and "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles.
