So, when we think of the symbol of the city of Chicago, you normally think of the Chicago flag, right?

But what if I told you that there’s actually an official logo that’s hidden in plain sight throughout the city?

This is actually the official logo of the city of Chicago.

While it might not look like much, this “Y” actually symbolizes the north, south, and main branches of the Chicago River.

In 1892, the Chicago Inter-Ocean newspaper sponsored a competition to design an emblem for Chicago. The winner was this symbol created by R.Roewood.

And it was first used at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, a.k.a. the World’s Fair.

This design, however, decreased in popularity throughout the decades, probably because it looks like an upside-down peace sign, so the Chicago flag is largely used to symbolize the city instead.

Now, some notable places you can find this symbol throughout the city are:

• Traffic control boxes,
• the marquee for the Chicago Theatre,
• the east towers of Navy Pier,
• on many bridges throughout the city,
• in mosaics on the ceiling and in the brass on the elevators in the Cultural Center,
• and also on manhole covers!

Where else in the city have you seen this symbol? Let me know in the comments below! Tata! 🙂