1-8-070 Municipal device-City vehicle identification. The municipal device, for use by the varied unofficial interests of the city and its people, shall show a Y-shaped figure in a circle, colored and designed to suit individual tastes and needs. All automobiles and other vehicles which are owned by the city, except those used by the commissioner of police, and the detective bureau of the department of police, shall be distinctly marked as the property of the city by painting or placing thereon in a conspicuous place, in such a manner that the same cannot be removed, the municipal device, together with the words City of Chicago, and the name of the department operating the said automobile or other vehicle. (Prior code 2-7) Chances are youve seen it, its all over the city. On the Chicago Theatre marquee, the Chicago Public Library logo, street lighting boxes and buildings and structures throughout the city. The Division Street bridge on Goose Island had it, the only bridge in the entire city that included the design in its overhead bracing before being demolished in 2014 and would be cast on the pavement on sunny days. The Y is the quintessential icon to adorn structures in the city that works. At some places, the inverted Y-symbol can be seen, with vertical stripe on top . It represents the reversal of the flow of Chicago River. The three branches of the Chicago River come together at Wolf Point where the entire Chicago metropolitan area sprung up from and so is a fitting symbol of civic pride. It was a contest in 1892 by the Inter-Ocean that created Chicagos I Will slogan along with a breast-plated woman that symbolized Chicago attitude. Not to be outdone by their rivals, the Chicago Tribune had its own contest seeking the best municipal colors. A.J. Roewad won the contest with a drawing of an inverted Y with white and terra cotta colors. The symbol caught on, the colors did not. The three parts (of the design) indicate the three Chicago divisions -- North, West and South -- united with a white or silver band, the River, Roewad wrote in the paper. In 1917, the city council adopted the above ordinance and its been showing up in our architecture ever since. Where have you seen the device?
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 03:27:58 +0000
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