McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum

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McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum The McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum celebrates Chicago’s river and movable bridges We will be re-opening May 2021.

Join us to explore a historic bridge tower and learn the history of the Chicago River and its famous movable bridges.

Our Happy Hour Speaker Series for this evening is postponed due to the extreme heat index in Chicago. Luckily we are abl...
09/03/2026

Our Happy Hour Speaker Series for this evening is postponed due to the extreme heat index in Chicago. Luckily we are able to reschedule for next Thursday, September 10th. Same time and place! Stay safe out there, and spread the word!

Next Thursday, September 3rd is the last Happy Hour Speaker Series of the season at the Bridgehouse Museum. Join Friends...
08/28/2026

Next Thursday, September 3rd is the last Happy Hour Speaker Series of the season at the Bridgehouse Museum. Join Friends of the Chicago River to celebrate the final event of this series celebrating our 20 year anniversary. Refreshments are provided by Goose Island and Friends.

Canal as Commons: The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal as a Shared Place
Thursday, September 3
5:15 – 6:15 p.m. 
McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, 99 Chicago Riverwalk
Free and open to the public

Speakers:
Adam Flickinger, AICP, WEDG, LEED AP, Friends of the Chicago River
Amy Heldman, WEDG, Friends of the Chicago River

Explore with us the landscapes, communities, and waters of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal corridor as we build a deeper understanding of this shared place and inspire collaboration toward a more intentional future.

See you there!

A warm up for our trivia night! What kind of fish eating bird did we spot hunting during our Bridgehouse Museum staff fi...
08/14/2026

A warm up for our trivia night! What kind of fish eating bird did we spot hunting during our Bridgehouse Museum staff field trip to Big Marsh Park?

Chicago-Calumet River Trivia is coming up on Thursday 8/20 at the Bridgehouse Museum! Bring a team or come solo and we will team you up. As part of our Happy Hour Speaker Series, this event is free, open to the public, and we will have complimentary beverages courtesy of Goose Island. This fundraiser supports the operations of the museum, and donations are welcome. Winning teams will receive some prize packages as well!

Arrive early to secure a table, make some new friends, and learn some fun facts about our beautiful river system!

Stop by the Bridgehouse Museum and check out this year’s Chicago River Day shirts as well as artwork from our amazing lo...
08/07/2026

Stop by the Bridgehouse Museum and check out this year’s Chicago River Day shirts as well as artwork from our amazing local artists!

Se ofrecen visitas guiadas en español los sábados de julio a octubre. Las visitas comienzan a las 3:00 p.m. en el vestíb...
07/24/2026

Se ofrecen visitas guiadas en español los sábados de julio a octubre. Las visitas comienzan a las 3:00 p.m. en el vestíbulo del museo y duran aproximadamente 60 minutos. ¡Regístrese hoy!

Our Happy Hour Speaker Series continues Thursday 7/23 with Preserving and Reactivating Chicago’s Bridgehouses for Commun...
07/17/2026

Our Happy Hour Speaker Series continues Thursday 7/23 with Preserving and Reactivating Chicago’s Bridgehouses for Community.

Chicago’s historic bridges and their tender houses are among the city’s most recognizable civic landmarks, standing as enduring symbols of engineering innovation and the river that shaped Chicago’s growth. Yet many of our bridgehouses remain vacant and underutilized, disconnected from the communities that surround them.

Join Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller and Tender House Project founder Mejay Gula for a conversation about preserving and reimagining these remarkable bridge operator buildings for future generations. It’s hosted by the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, a prime example of how these buildings can be repurposed for the public good.

This speaker series is free and open to the public. Complimentary beverages will be available and the event occurs on the Bridgehouse Museum plaza at Michigan and Wacker on the Chicago Riverwalk. Seating is limited and will begin at 4:30pm. Join us!

Our Happy Hour Speaker Series continues this Thursday, July 9th with Water Impacts of Data Centers.Join us to celebrate ...
07/05/2026

Our Happy Hour Speaker Series continues this Thursday, July 9th with Water Impacts of Data Centers.

Join us to celebrate 20 years of the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum all season long. Enjoy local beverages out on our riverfront plaza while you learn from local experts who bring to life key aspects of the Chicago-Calumet River system, wildlife, history, public policy, and community engagement throughout the summer.

As data center development accelerates across the region, what does it mean for the Chicago-Calumet River watershed? This panel will examine the water and ecological impacts of data centers, including growing demands on local water resources and implications for climate resilience and wildlife. The conversation will highlight emerging policy approaches aimed at addressing these challenges, including efforts from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Data Centers Task Force and including the Illinois POWER Act.

This event is free and open to the public, and donations to Friends of the Chicago River are encouraged to support the Bridgehouse Museum’s programming.

Are you curious about the species of crayfish found in the Chicago waterways? Did you know that we have native crayfish ...
06/24/2026

Are you curious about the species of crayfish found in the Chicago waterways? Did you know that we have native crayfish and invasive crayfish? Have you ever wanted a shirt with a crayfish on it?

If you have wondered about any of these questions, we have the perfect, free event for you! The Bridgehouse Museum Happy Hour Speaker Series continues Thursday 6/25 with “Native and Invasive Crayfish of Chicago” presented by Reuben Keller. This free event occurs on our plaza on the Chicago Riverwalk and includes complimentary beverages courtesy of Goose Island. Chicago River Day shirts featuring the virile crayfish will also be available at the event for a donation.

Join us for some fun! 🦞🦞

In honor of Juneteenth, we are celebrating one of the many important Black Chicagoans that is memorialized along the Afr...
06/19/2026

In honor of Juneteenth, we are celebrating one of the many important Black Chicagoans that is memorialized along the African American Heritage Water Trail. Hazel Johnson is known as the “Mother of Environmental Justice” for the way she fought environmental racism as the founder of People for Community Recovery.
Johnson lived in the Altgeld Gardens segregated housing project on Chicago’s Southeast side. After her husband died of lung cancer, Johnson began to investigate the link between the illnesses which plagued her community and the “toxic donut” of landfills, sewer treatment plants, and factories. Through tireless research, she proved the Chicago Housing Authority had contributed to and hidden the effects of the toxic waste dump beneath Altgeld Gardens as well as lied about their use of asbestos in their buildings.

Johnson, as the founder of the environmental justice movement, sought to fight environmental racism which concentrated environmental abuses on poor communities of color. Her story is part of the 180 years of African American history celebrated on Openlands and The Calumet Heritage Area’s African American Heritage Water Trail.

Check out https://openlands.org/projects/the-african-american-heritage-water-trail/ for more information!

Address

376 N Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL
60601

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+13129770227

Website

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