Wender·Vista
Chicago River
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in downtown Chicago, west out from Lake Michigan

Chicago River

— the bend the city was built around.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The river that runs the wrong way. In 1900 the city reversed it, so it flows out from Lake Michigan instead of into it. The architecture boats leave from the bridge at Michigan Avenue, and on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day the water turns green for a few hours. Most days it's quieter than that, steel-grey, with the Loop standing over it.

from the studio
Chicago River
— bring it home

Chicago River, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Chicago River

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Chicago River runs through the center of Chicago, Illinois, with a main stem of about 1.5 miles meeting the North and South Branches at Wolf Point. The system spans 156 miles. In 1900 the Sanitary District of Chicago reversed the river's flow so wastewater would no longer empty into Lake Michigan, which supplies the city's drinking water. The reversal stands as one of the largest civil engineering feats of its era and was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

— the water

Each March the Chicago Plumbers Local 130 dyes the main stem green for the Saturday closest to St. Patrick's Day, a tradition that began in 1962. The dye is a powdered vegetable formula and lasts a few hours. The rest of the year the water reads steel-grey or the muted olive of an urban estuary. The current is slow, slowed further by the locks at the lake, and boats moving through the Loop barely raise a wake.

— the visit

The Chicago Riverwalk runs 1.25 miles along the main stem south bank, from Lake Shore Drive to Lake Street. The Chicago Architecture Center's river cruise launches from the dock at Michigan Avenue and DuSable Bridge and runs about ninety minutes, threading the three branches and pointing out the work of Sullivan, Mies, and Jeanne Gang. Boats run April through November. The Riverwalk itself stays open through the cold months, and most of its restaurants stay open with it.

— where
United States · Chicago, Illinois
— position
41.8888° N · 87.6244° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km SW
Willis Tower
skyscraper
at the lake
Wrigley Building
landmark tower
at the lake
Tribune Tower
neo-Gothic landmark
2 km E
Navy Pier
lakefront pier
1 km E
Lake Michigan
Great Lake
N
Chicago River
Willis Tower
Wrigley Building
Tribune Tower
Navy Pier
Lake Michigan
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Chicago River — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In 1900 the Sanitary District reversed the river so wastewater would drain south toward the Mississippi watershed instead of into Lake Michigan, the city's drinking source. The reversal used the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Chicago Plumbers Local 130 began dyeing the main stem on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day in 1962. The vegetable-based dye lasts a few hours and colors only the central downtown stretch.

The full system runs about 156 miles, with a main stem of roughly 1.5 miles through the Loop and two branches reaching north and south from Wolf Point near Merchandise Mart.

A pedestrian path along the south bank of the main stem, 1.25 miles from Lake Shore Drive to Lake Street. It includes restaurants, boat docks, kayak rentals, and seasonal art installations.

The Chicago Architecture Center runs ninety-minute river cruises from April through November, departing the dock at Michigan Avenue and DuSable Bridge. The tour covers all three branches and major downtown buildings.

Roughly forty-five movable bridges cross the river within the city, most of them bascule drawbridges. The main stem through the Loop holds eighteen, raised seasonally for tall-mast boat traffic.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well to anyone who lived or worked along the river. The Medium hangs over a desk or hallway, and the Coaster Set travels easily for a friend out of town. A handwritten note from the studio goes in the box.

The cool greens and steel-greys read well with Industrial Modern, Chicago-loft Minimalist, and Mid-century palettes. The piece anchors a wall of brick or warm wood without competing for attention.

Yes. Loft interiors lean on cool tones and graphic line work, and the river piece carries both. It also reads at distance, which matters in open-plan spaces with high ceilings.

A single Large covers most sofas. For a wider wall a 4-tile Mural reads as one piece at distance, and a 9-tile Mural anchors a long console or stair landing.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle humidity without dulling. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, beneath a thin protective layer.

A dry or barely-damp microfibre cloth. No solvents, no abrasives. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so wear from cleaning is not a concern.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house by Reid Wender, the curator, in our distinctive visual language. No outside licensing, no stock imagery.

— if this one stayed with you

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