North Michigan Avenue and the Magnificent Mile Michigan Avenue originally ended at the Chicago River, and what is now Michigan Avenue north of the river was originally named Pine Street, after scattered pine trees originally found in its vicinity. As early as 1891, plans were proposed to extend Michigan Avenue north across the river. An early plan called for a tunnel to link Michigan Avenue south of the river with Pine Street, and in 1903 an editorial in the
Chicago Tribune newspaper proposed a new
Bascule bridge across the river at Michigan Avenue. This plan was further elaborated upon in
Daniel Burnham's
1909 Plan of Chicago, and in 1911 a plan was selected that included the widening of Michigan Avenue from Randolph Street to the river, replacing the Rush Street bridge with a new bridge at Michigan Avenue and the construction of a double-decked boulevard along Pine Street as far as Ohio Street. When the
Michigan Avenue Bridge was completed, Pine Street was renamed Michigan Avenue. At its north end it merges into
Lake Shore Drive near the
Drake Hotel. Today, the area north of the
Chicago River is referred to as the "
Magnificent Mile", or sometimes simply the Mag Mile. It contains a mixture of upscale
department stores, restaurants, high-end retailers, office buildings and
hotels, and caters primarily to
tourists and the affluent. The area also has a high concentration of the city's
advertising agencies. It is the home of Chicago's famous
Water Tower landmark,
Jane Byrne Park around the Water Tower with its historic clock, as well as the eight-level
Water Tower Place shopping center which grew up next door to, and overshadowed, the comparatively diminutive landmark. North of the shopping center can be found the famous
John Hancock Center, the
Art Deco Palmolive Building (also known as the
Playboy Building) and the lavish
Drake Hotel. The entire mile is noted for its spectacular
Christmas displays. At the northern edge of this district can be found the
One Magnificent Mile building;
Chicago Landmark East Lake Shore Drive District, an extremely expensive and exclusive one-block area of
real estate running east from North Michigan Avenue and facing directly onto
Lake Michigan; and the on-ramp to northbound
Lake Shore Drive.
From the River southwards For a few blocks on both sides of the
Chicago River, the road is double-decked, including the bridge over the river. The lower level north of the river is where the famous
Billy Goat Tavern is located, and south of the river it intersects with Lower Wacker Drive. On the upper lever, tall office buildings and hotels line both sides of the Avenue, until
Millennium Park. The portion of Michigan Avenue opposite
Grant Park is the
Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. Major cultural institutions, such as the
Chicago Cultural Center,
Symphony Center, and the
Auditorium Theatre are located here, as are many late 19th and early 20th century skyscrapers. In 2009, the Chicago Cultural Mile Association was created to bring "awareness of the unique strengths and diverse offerings available to visitors" in this portion of Michigan Avenue. The
Art Institute of Chicago is across the boulevard, in Grant Park along the Avenue. Several large historic hotels are located just south of
Ida B. Wells Drive, including the Hilton Towers Chicago (formerly, the Stevens Hotel), the
Congress Plaza Hotel and
The Blackstone Hotel. Between them is the
Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. The Avenue extends south into
Near South Side, Chicago and beyond – past what was once the notorious
Levee District, the graceful homes of the
Prairie Avenue District, the historic
Second Presbyterian Church, the former home of the legendary
Chess Records at 2120 South Michigan and the site where the
Lexington Hotel, a hideout of
Al Capone, once stood. South of
Cermak Road is the
Motor Row District, a historic strip along Michigan Avenue that was home to many early 20th century automobile "palaces." A point of interest in this area is the former Illinois Automobile Club, which later was used as the home of
The Chicago Defender, a prominent African-American Chicago newspaper at 2400 South Michigan. A little bit further south is
Bronzeville, a historic black community in Chicago. Points of interest include the historic
Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, the
Illinois College of Optometry and the
South Side Community Art Center. The intersection of Michigan Avenue and 35th Street is home to two important local institutions. On the northwest corner is
De La Salle Institute, a Catholic high school which was attended by future
Chicago mayors
Richard J. Daley,
Richard M. Daley, and
Michael Bilandic. On the southwest corner is the
Chicago Police Department Headquarters. Michigan Avenue continues through the
South Side and dead ends at 63rd Street, just north of a rail yard and parking lots. The Avenue continues heading south at 66th Street to Marquette Road, where it moves a half-block to the east back into alignment with the run north of 63rd Street. It then continues south to 89th Street where it dead ends once again for a housing subdivision and a railroad line. It resumes at 91st Street heading south through the working class
Roseland community, featuring a large commercial strip along Michigan between 111th and 115th streets. The street dead ends again at 127th Street just before the
Cal-Sag Channel. It begins again in the south
suburb of
Riverdale before finally terminating at Sibley Boulevard or IL RT-83. ==Transportation==