Chicago Maritime Museum

The Chicago Maritime Museum is a maritime society and museum dedicated to the study and memorialization of Chicago’s maritime traditions.  Chicago’s history and development stem from its axis at the foot of the Great Lakes. This strategic location gave the city access to the St Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Ocean as well as the radiating rivers that lead to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. In addition, a great network of freight trains serves the city moving Midwestern produce and products to the world and returning with goods from around the nation and the world. At varying times, Chicago has been the busiest port or one of the busiest ports in the world. It is a tall order to tell the story of Chicago’s waterways and their emotional and prosperous impact on 19th, 20th and 21st century American growth.
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Welcome to the Chicago Maritime Museum and our developing story of Chicago’s maritime traditions and impact. Come visit our museum on the shores of Bubbly Creek at the Bridgeport Art Center.

​The Chicago Maritime Museum, located on the River Level of the Bridgeport Art Center at 35th Street and Racine Ave., opened in July of 2016. The museum offers visitors a chronological walk through local maritime history including the eras of French fur traders, sail and steam-powered vessels, modern commercial Great Lakes frigates, recreational sailing and the Ralph and Rita Frese Canoe Collection. Designed by renowned architect and CMM chairman, Dirk Lohan, the 10,000-square-foot museum serves as a window into Chicago’s maritime history.

​Chicago Maritime Museum is a 501(C)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under Tax ID 36-3205719.