58th station
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | January 22, 1893 in Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Defunct | January 9, 1994 |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
58th was a stop on the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line, situated within Chicago's Washington Park district. Positioned at 320-24 E. 58th Street, it commenced operations on January 22, 1893, as part of the South Side Elevated Railroad expansion catering to the World's Columbian Exposition. The station ceased service alongside the Green Line on January 9, 1994, but unlike other stations, it remained closed when the line resumed on May 12, 1996, due to its close proximity to the Garfield station.
History
The opening of 58th in 1893 coincided with the South Side Elevated Railroad's extension reaching Jackson Park to serve visitors of the World's Columbian Exposition. Crafted by architect Myron H. Church and constructed by the Rapid Transit and Bridge Construction Company, the station combined features from both the Queen Anne and Chicago school architectural movements. Its brick-built station house was notable for a distinctive half-cone bay, and it stood out among South Side Elevated stations by incorporating an island platform. The original hump-shaped canopy survived longer than most comparable canopies along the line.
Following the 1905 connection of the Englewood Branch to the South Side Elevated, 58th became a key transfer location between the Englewood and Jackson Park branches. Initially, shuttle trains operated between 58th and the branch termini; express services from Englewood to downtown began in 1906, gradually eliminating shuttle operations by 1911. The station continued as a transfer point until the introduction of skip-stop A/B service in 1949, at which time it was designated an "A" station serving only Englewood-bound trains; transfers were then shifted to 51st. After skip-stop service ended in 1993, 58th briefly resumed its function as a transfer station.
Reconstruction efforts at 58th were launched by the CTA in 1983, initially focusing on replacing platforms and adding a new canopy extending over the tracks. Although plans to rebuild the station house were set for 1986, funding delays postponed this until 1988; during this period, the original station house was demolished but not replaced, resulting in only temporary turnstiles remaining on the platform.
Closure and demolition
The closure of 58th occurred on January 9, 1994, coinciding with a system-wide shutdown of Green Line stations for renovation work. Unlike others, it did not reopen when service resumed on May 12, 1996, primarily because of its nearness to Garfield and budget-saving measures implemented by the CTA following renovation. The platform and stairways remained intact but unused for nearly two decades. Federal grant conditions required that CTA keep 58th operationally maintained until full amortization of funding occurred. By 2010, significant deterioration rendered the platform unsafe even for CTA staff access, prompting demolition between January and February of 2012. Presently, only an expanded gap between tracks and parts of the elevated structure indicate where the station once stood.