Members of Friends of the Chicago River have long dreamed about a continuous downtown Riverwalk where people could take advantage of the calm and beauty the Chicago River offers in the heart of our metropolis.

Members of Friends of the Chicago River have long dreamed about a continuous downtown Riverwalk where people could take advantage of the calm and beauty the Chicago River offers in the heart of our metropolis. That dream will at last become reality in 2009 - and Friends’ McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum is quite literally at the center of this major transformation.

Just outside the Bridgehouse Museum’s front door, and for one block east and west, cranes and barges loaded with construction equipment are helping change the landscape. Work is in full swing to expand the Chicago Riverwalk as one long, continuous path along the river’s Main Stem, bustling with restaurants, cafes and other attractions. The City of Chicago began construction in August 2008 and plans to complete the first phase of Chicago’s newest major civic attraction by summer 2009.

A quick tour of the Bridgehouse Museum will heighten any visitor’s appreciation for the new Riverwalk. As they explore the five stories of the bridge tower, visitors discover the downtown river bank’s progression from its natural state to industrial wharves to its present transformation into a linear oasis that is emerging as one of Chicago’s most exciting recreation destinations.

The current phase of the construction project includes widening portions of the existing Riverwalk, building walkways under the Michigan Avenue and Wabash Avenue bridges, and adding beautiful new landscaping throughout. In 2009, locals and tourists alike will be able to visit the Bridgehouse Museum and enjoy dining, shopping, and other recreation activities on an uninterrupted path between Lake Shore Drive and State Street. Further Riverwalk extension is planned for the future.

The Bridgehouse Museum is open spring through fall, and will re-open for our next season on May 15, 2009.