November 14, 2011 – Bank of America will be the first sponsor to take the City of Chicago up on its offer to advertise on a Chicago River bridge house. Bridge docent Jim Phillips was there when this ad went up Monday morning at the south end of the Wabash Avenue Bridge.

“I was speechless when I saw the tasteless display of corporate graffiti on these historic landmarks,” wrote Phillips on his website, chicagoloopbridges.com. “It doesn’t speak well for a city that takes so much pride in its architectural legacy.”

The idea was Mayor Daley’s, proposed last year, and now the Emanuel administration thinks such corporate advertising will raise as much as $25 million. The BOA ads adorn the bridge through December 12.

Photo by Jim Phillips. Click on image to view larger version.