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Ferris Wheel

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Place TypeBuildingDescriptionThe original Ferris Wheel, sometimes also referred to as the Chicago Wheel, was designed and built by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. as the centerpiece of the Midway at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. Since its construction, many other Ferris wheels have been constructed that were patterned after it.

Intended as keystone attraction similar to that of the 1889 Paris Exposition's 324-metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower, the Ferris Wheel was the Columbian Exposition's tallest attraction, with a height of 80.4 metres (264 ft).

The Ferris Wheel was dismantled and then rebuilt in Lincoln Park, Chicago, in 1895, and dismantled and rebuilt a third and final time for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It was ultimately demolished in 1906. In 2007, the wheel's 45 foot, 70-ton axle was discovered buried near where it was demolished.Geolocation^[1]^[2]^[3]

Image

Ferris wheel at the 1904 World's Fair

Ferris wheel at the 1904 World's Fair

Ferris wheel construction

Ferris wheel construction

Construction of the Ferris wheel for the 1904 World's Fair

Construction of the Ferris wheel for the 1904 World's Fair

Construction of the Ferris wheel for the 1904 World's Fair

Construction of the Ferris wheel for the 1904 World's Fair

Ferris, or observation, wheel construction for the 1904 World's Fair

Ferris, or observation, wheel construction for the 1904 World's Fair

Erecting the Ferris wheel at the St. Louis fair

Erecting the Ferris wheel at the St. Louis fair

Demolition of the Ferris wheel

Demolition of the Ferris wheel

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

World's Columbian Exposition: Ferris Wheel, Chicago, United States, 1893

East Court in Old Vienna

East Court in Old Vienna

Ferris Wheel - From The West

Ferris Wheel - From The West

The Midway, From Ferris Wheel, Looking East

The Midway, From Ferris Wheel, Looking East

The Midway, Looking East

The Midway, Looking East

The Ferris Wheel

The Ferris Wheel

Ferris wheel at the Chicago World's Fair

Ferris wheel at the Chicago World's Fair

Large ferris wheel at the World's Columbian Exposition

Large ferris wheel at the World's Columbian Exposition

Plate 91
The Ferris Wheel

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Official Views Of The World's Columbian Exposition

Plate 91
The Ferris Wheel

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Official Views Of The World's Columbian Exposition

More Information

Located InChicagoDateBetween 21st June 1893 and 11th May 1906StatusDemolishedEventWorld's Columbian Exposition (1893)Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904)

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