Ferris Wheel (1893)
The 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.
| Ferris Wheel | |
|---|---|
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.'s wheel | |
| Alternative names | Chicago Wheel |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Town or city | Chicago |
| Country | United States |
| Opened | June 21, 1893 |
| Demolished | May 11, 1906 |
| Cost | $385,000 |
| Height | 80.4 metres (264 ft) |
| Known for | World's first Ferris Wheel |
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.