Wells Street is a major north–south street in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. It is officially designated as 200 West, and is named in honor of William Wells, a United States Army Captain who died in the

Battle of Fort Dearborn The Battle of Fort Dearborn (sometimes called the Fort Dearborn Massacre) was an engagement between United States troops and Potawatomi Native Americans that occurred on August 15, 1812, near Fort Dearborn in what is now Chicago, Illinois (at tha ...

. Between 1870 and 1912, it was named 5th Avenue so as not to tarnish the name of Wells during a period when the street had a bad reputation. Wells Street is interrupted by Guaranteed Rate Field,

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

, and Lincoln Park. Wells Street crosses the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons for ...

at the

Wells Street Bridge Wells Street Bridge may refer to: * Wells Street Bridge (Chicago), a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in downtown Chicago, Illinois *Wells Street Bridge (Fort Wayne, Indiana) Wells Street Bridge is a historic Whipple truss bridge spanning t ...

. Some downtown blocks of Wells Street are located beneath the Chicago 'L' train system. The first

Crate & Barrel Euromarket Designs Inc., doing business as Crate & Barrel (stylized as Crate&Barrel), is an international furniture and home décor retail store headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. They employ 8200 employees across over 100 stores in the Uni ...

store, which opened in 1962, was located on Wells Street. Wells Street was named in ''Time'' Magazine's 1976 article "The Porno Plague".

Old Town Neighborhood

Wells Street on the north side often refers to a strip of retail shops, bars and restaurants in the Old Town neighborhood in the Near North neighborhood.

Intersections

This only shows part of Wells Street between the North Side and the Loop.

References

Streets in Chicago {{Illinois-road-stub