LaSalle Street

LaSalle Street
from the old Chicago Board of Trade Building (May 15, 1916)
Location:	Chicago
North end:	Lake Shore Drive at 1700 North
South end:	157th Street, South Holland

LaSalle Street is a major north-south street in Chicago named for Sieur de La Salle, an early explorer of Illinois. The portion that runs through the Chicago Loop is considered to be Chicago's financial district.

South Side

South of the Financial District, LaSalle Street gets cut off for a while by the Amtrak/Metra Rail yard from Taylor St to 1600 South. It runs parallel to the Rock Island District Metra line. South of 26th Street, it serves as a frontage road for the Dan Ryan Expressway until 47th street, where it merges with Wentworth Avenue. South of 47th, it starts and stops as a local street until it finally terminates at West 157th Street in South Holland.

The Chicago Board of Trade Building (center), the Continental Illinois Building (left) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (right)

In the Loop

The south end of LaSalle Street terminates at the art-deco Chicago Board of Trade Building, a Chicago Landmark and National Historic Landmark. The LaSalle Street Station commuter terminal is located directly south of the Board of Trade. An art deco skyscraper at 135 S. LaSalle and a modern skyscraper 190 S. LaSalle line the street. One North LaSalle, the former Field Building, Chicago City Hall and the James R. Thompson Center are located within the Loop on LaSalle Street.

The street was nicknamed "The Canyon" due to the tall, steep buildings that lie on both ends of the relatively narrow street, with the Chicago Board of Trade Building as the abrupt end of the apparent box canyon.

The Rookery Building is a historic landmark located at 219 South Lasalle Street. Completed by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpiece buildings. It measures 181 feet (55 m), is twelve stories tall and is one of the oldest standing high-rises in Chicago. It has a unique style with exterior load-bearing walls and an interior steel frame.

South Side

South of the Financial District, LaSalle Street gets cut off for a while by the Amtrak/Metra Rail yard from Taylor St to 1600 South. It runs parallel to the Rock Island District Metra line. South of 26th Street, it serves as a frontage road for the Dan Ryan Expressway until 47th street, where it merges with Wentworth Avenue. South of 47th, it starts and stops as a local street until it finally terminates at West 157th Street in South Holland.

North LaSalle runs past the Rock N Roll McDonald's

North of the river

Moving north from the Loop, the street crosses the Chicago River using the La Salle Street Bridge. In the Near North Side, 300 North LaSalle will be on the north banks of the Chicago River, one block east of the Merchandise Mart. North of Chicago Avenue, the street is adjacent to the Moody Bible Institute. The street terminates in Lincoln Park near the Chicago History Museum. North of the River, the City's signage refers to LaSalle as a Boulevard between the River and North Avenue. Between North Avenue and Lake Shore Drive, the signage refers to it as a Drive.

In popular culture

The street, Chicago Board of Trade Building, and 200 North LaSalle were used in the 2005 film Batman Begins and its sequel The Dark Knight. The view facing south down the canyon has been used in the movies The Untouchables, Public Enemies, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Road to Perdition. The canyon was in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

References

Notes

External links

• Media related to Financial District, Chicago at Wikimedia Commons