1800s

The beginning

Rush Street began as a busy business street back in the 1800s. It was named after physician and patriot Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The little street led to the big shipping port along the Chicago River, where its swing bridge crossing the river was one of the city’s main bridges. So much was the commerce crossing this bridge, that huge crowds of people and carts backed up along the riverbanks whenever it was swung open to let ships pass through. Fast-growing Chicago was the ‘City of the Century’ and Rush Street played a vital role.