It's Curious City, where we take your questions about Chicago and the region.

And investigate.

Report.

Explore.

From WBEZ.

I'm Erin Allen.

You know sometimes when your GPS plots against you and sends you down to lower whacker on the slide, No one is going to leave you hanging. Well,

if the lower bows of Chicago have ever left you mystified, terrified, avoid it all costified,

you are not alone. We have gotten so many questions from listeners about Laura Wacker over the years.

What is the history? Do other cities have streets like this?

And don't even get me started on Lower, Lower Wacker.

So buckle up. Today we're going to go on a tour,

and we're going to try to squeeze in the answers to as many questions as we can.

Starting with the most basic question, why?

The whole idea of Wacker Drive, Lower Wacker Drive, Lower Wacker Drive actually started with

the 1909 Plan of Chicago that was done by Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett.

This is Jennifer McElroy. She is a docent with the Chicago Architecture Center.

We're starting at Lakeshore East Park,

where all the Wackers and the Pedway intersect.

Jennifer says architect Daniel Burnham's design

was the first comprehensive urban plan ever implemented in the U.S.

Construction of Lower Wacker Drive as a double-decker street started in the 1920s.

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