Pedway Under Randolph Street to Smurfit-Stone Building

The Chicago Pedway is a network of

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

s, ground-level concourses and

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

connecting skyscrapers, retail stores, hotels, and train stations throughout the central business district. With a length of more than 40 downtown blocks, it contains shops, restaurants, and public art and helps

pedestrians A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the ''sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British Eng ...

in inclement weather. Most connections to the pedway are commercial or government buildings, including hotels. Columbus Plaza,

The Heritage at Millennium Park The Heritage at Millennium Park, located at 130 N. Garland Court in Chicago, Illinois is a mixed-use tower. Completed in 2005, with a height of and 57 floors, the building was designed by the architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz (archite ...

, the Park Millennium, 200 North Dearborn Apartments, and

Aqua Aqua is the Latin word for water. As such, it is often used in many words which relate to water, such as aquatic life. In English, it may also refer to: Arts * Aqua (color), a greenish-blue color Business * Aqua (Chicago), an 82-story resid ...

are the only residential buildings connected to the pedway.

History

The oldest portions of the Pedway, aside from the interiors of some included buildings, are the corridors between

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and Dearborn Streets, linking

Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...

's Red Line and Blue Line stations at

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and

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Streets and at Jackson Street. These were constructed with the subways; while the completion and outfitting of the Blue Line under Dearborn Street were interrupted by

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution (marketing), distribution of scarcity, scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resourc ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the two mezzanine connector tunnels were opened and linked the Red Line under State Street to the sidewalks of Dearborn Street. Construction on the pedway proper began in 1951 and has continued since then, especially after expansion was included in both 1968's '' Transit Planning Study: Chicago Central Area'' and the

Chicago 21 Plan The Chicago 21 Plan was a comprehensive development plan released in 1973 intended to revitalize the areas surrounding the Chicago Loop, Chicago's central business district. The 125-page document, subtitled "A Plan for the Central Area Communities ...

introduced in 1973. The smaller but more elaborate eastern section of the pedway, connecting the

Illinois Center Illinois Center is a mixed-use urban development in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA, lying east of Michigan Avenue. It is notable in that the streets running through it have three levels. Elsewhere in Chicago, some streets have two levels, w ...

buildings,

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, Fairmont Hotel, Swissôtel, and (later) Aqua, are indirectly accessible from the main ( Loop-centric) pedway network, as each is linked to one end of the

Metra Electric Line The Metra Electric District is an electrified commuter rail line owned and operated by Metra which connects Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street Station), in downtown Chicago, with the city's southern suburbs. As of 2018, it is the fif ...

rail platforms. Since the Regional Transportation Authority's removal of the turnstiles in November 2003, the two large pedway sections have been united by the platforms. The southern reach of the main network was reduced when the 2nd floor passage across Madison Street, linking

Three First National Plaza Three First National Plaza is a 57-story office tower in Chicago located at 70 West Madison Street. Completed in 1981, the building is one of the tallest in Chicago at . The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in a sawtooth sha ...

with Bank One Plaza (now Chase Tower), was removed after the two buildings restricted public access to upper levels. The tunnels between Chase Tower and Two First National Plaza remain but are closed to the general public. Chase Tower is still connected to the Blue Line subway and to the restaurant structure in the south-west corner of the adjoining Exelon Plaza, and public access is permitted during workday hours. In December 2013, 22 stained glass panels were installed on the wall opposite the entrance to

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

food court, in a collaboration with the

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; these remain in place, although the museum has closed. The

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plans to install more art exhibits and a public library as part of a revitalization of the Pedway. Numerous smaller pedways throughout the central business district are not connected to the main network. These include the tunnel below Quincy Street and the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, connecting the Red and Blue Lines' Jackson Street stations; within and between the

Ogilvie Transportation Center The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (), on the site of the former Chicago and North Western Terminal, is a commuter rail train station, terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois. For the last century, this site has served as the primary t ...

and 2 North Riverside Plaza; within and between the

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building in Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it opened in 1930, it was the List of largest buildings, world's largest building, with of floor space. The Art De ...

and

Apparel Center 350 North Orleans (formerly known as River North Point) is the official name of the 24-floor multipurpose building located in the River North community area of Chicago, at the intersection of the North Branch and the Main Branch of the Chicago R ...

; and the passageways under Chase Tower's Exelon Plaza.

Entrances

Points of entry and exit for the Pedway include: * One North Dearborn Street * One North State Street * 2 North Riverside Plaza *

One Prudential Plaza One Prudential Plaza (formerly known as the Prudential Building) is a 41-story structure in Chicago completed in 1955 as the headquarters for Prudential Financial, Prudential's Mid-America company. It was the first skyscraper built in Chicago ...

(130 East Randolph Street) * Two First National Plaza *

Two Prudential Plaza Two Prudential Plaza is a 64-story skyscraper located in the Chicago Loop, Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. At tall, it is the seventh-tallest building in Chicago and the List of tallest buildings in the United States, 28th-tallest in the U.S. ...

(180 North Stetson Avenue) *

(70 West Madison Street) * 25 East Washington Street * 77 West Wacker Drive * 120 North LaSalle * 139 North Wabash Avenue * 200 North Dearborn Apartments * 201 North Clark Street * 203 North LaSalle Street * 303 East

Wacker Drive Wacker Drive is a major multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River in the Loop.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, ''Streetwise Chicago'', "Wacke ...

* Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street) * Aqua and Radisson Blu Hotel * Block 37 shopping mall at

108 North State Street 108 North State Street, often referred to as Block 37, is a shopping mall and development situated in the Loop area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. This site is defined by the square block bordered by West Randolph Street, North State Street ...

Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower The Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower (BCBS) is on the north end of Millennium Park along E. Randolph Street at the NE corner of Randolph and Columbus Drive (Chicago), Columbus Drive, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the headquarter ...

(300 East Randolph Street) * Boulevard Towers * Chase Tower * City Hall-County Building *

Chicago Cultural Center The Chicago Cultural Center, opened in 1897, is a Chicago Landmark building operated by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Cultural Center houses the city's official reception venue, where the Mayor of Chicago, M ...

(former main library &

GAR Gars are an ancient group of ray-finned fish in the family Lepisosteidae. They comprise seven living species of fish in two genera that inhabit fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine waters of eastern North America, Central America and Cuba ...

memorial) * Chicago Title and Trust Center (181 North Clark Street)
Columbus Plaza
* Richard J. Daley Bicentennial Plaza *

Richard J. Daley Center The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its open courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the city of Chicago, Illinois. The Center's modernist skyscraper primarily houses offic ...

(50 West Washington Street) * In front of the Dirksen Federal Building (interior not connected) (219 South Dearborn Street) * George W. Dunne Cook County Administration Building (69 West Washington Street) * Fairmont Hotel Chicago * Grant Park underground parking garages *

(130 North Garland Court) *

Hyatt Regency Hotel Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vac ...

* Lake CTA Red Line station *

Leo Burnett Building The Leo Burnett Building, located on 35 West Wacker Drive at North Dearborn Street in the Chicago Loop, is a 50-story, 635 foot (193 m) tall skyscraper above the Chicago River's Main Stem on the southern bank. When built in 1989, it was the 12 ...

(35 West Wacker Drive) *

in the

Marshall Field and Company Building The Marshall Field and Company Building is a department store building and National Historic Landmark on State Street (Chicago), State Street in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts and C ...

Millennium Park Millennium Park is a public park located in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The park, opened in July 2004, is a prominent civic center near t ...

(500 West Madison Street) *

Millennium Station Millennium Station, (previously known as Randolph Street Terminal and occasionally referred to as Randolph Street station or Randolph/South Water Street station) is a commuter rail terminal located in the Chicago Loop, Loop area of Chicago, do ...

(formerly Randolph Street Terminal) * Park Millennium *

Jay Pritzker Pavilion Jay Pritzker Pavilion, also known as Pritzker Pavilion or Pritzker Music Pavilion, is a bandshell in Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located on the south side of Randolph S ...

* Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel (formerly Stouffer Riviere) * 150 North Michigan Avenue * The Sporting Club at Illinois Center * Swissôtel Chicago *

James R. Thompson Center The James R. Thompson Center (JRTC), under reconstruction as Google Center or Googleplex Chicago and originally the State of Illinois Center, is a postmodern-style building designed by architect Helmut Jahn, located at 100 W. Randolph Street in ...

(100 West Randolph Street) * Washington CTA Blue Line station

References

External links

Inside Chicago Walking Tours' Pedway Tour
* ttps://chicagopedwaymap.com/PedwayMap.pdf Chicago Pedway map (unofficial) as of 2024br>Chicago Detours: Current as of 2025, a user friendly, free downloadable pdf Pedway MapChicago Pedway map and legend at City of Chicago as a PDF document (2013)
* ttp://www.spiegl.org/pedway/pedway.html Chicago Pedway online map and high quality printable (2008?) PDF map at spiegl.orgbr>Subterranean City: A Tour of Chicago's Pedway (2004)Chicago Pedway group on FlickrOpenStreetMap Chicago PedwayWaymarked Trails
{{coord, 41, 53, 03.2, N, 87, 37, 28.7, W, type:landmark_region:US-IL, display=title

Pedway Pedways (short for pedestrian walkways) are elevated or underground walkways, often connecting urban high-rises to each other, other buildings, or the street. They provide quick and comfortable movement from building to building, away from traff ...

Skyways Underground cities Pedways in the United States Homelessness in the United States Pedestrian tunnels in the United States

History

Entrances

See also

References

External links