Chicago station (CTA Logan Square branch)
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | May 6, 1895 |
| Defunct | 1951 |
| Fate | Station closed and later demolished |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Chicago, Illinois |
Chicago was a rapid transit stop situated on the Logan Square branch of the Chicago "L", originally part of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad. It functioned from 1895 until its closure in 1951. Positioned along Chicago Avenue, this station was constructed by the Metropolitan and commenced service on May 6, 1895.
The Metropolitan, one of four entities responsible for developing the Chicago "L", catered to the city's west side through various branches, including Logan Square. Despite encountering financial difficulties, it maintained operations until 1911, when management transferred to the Chicago Elevated Railways (CER) trust. This entity later consolidated into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) in 1924. Subsequently, public ownership was established with the formation of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), which took control in 1947.
From the late 1930s onward, plans were underway to construct a subway offering a more direct route downtown compared to the elevated Logan Square branch that included Chicago station. Initially designed to supplement existing services, the CTA ultimately prioritized streamlined routing and phased out the old elevated branch. The new subway began operation on February 25, 1951, featuring a modern station on Chicago Avenue. This development led to the shutdown of the original Chicago station along with other stops on that section. After ceasing passenger service, the station remained in non-revenue use until its demolition and subsequent property sale in 1964. A commercial building erected by CRT across from the former station site still stands , marking where the elevated line once ran.
The Chicago station embodied standard Metropolitan architectural elements: two wooden side platforms accompanied by a brick station building at street level. It also provided connections to a streetcar line extending toward Lake Shore Drive, both offering continuous owl service.
History
On April 7, 1892, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company secured a 50-year franchise from the Chicago City Council and promptly began acquiring rights of way. Its network comprised a main line extending westward from the Loop to Marshfield, from which three branches diverged—northwest toward Logan Square, west to Garfield Park, and southwest toward Douglas Park—serving Chicago's west side neighborhoods. Additionally, a branch stretched from Logan Square past Robey station to Humboldt Park. Distinguishing itself from competitors like South Side and Lake Street Elevateds, the Metropolitan elected to utilize electrified tracks starting in May 1894, becoming America’s first electric elevated railroad. By October 1894, track installation for the Logan Square branch was complete, with electrical testing conducted by April 1895. Passenger service launched on May 6, 1895, running between Robey on Logan Square branch and Canal on the main line, accompanied by eleven stations opening simultaneously.
Initially managed by the West Side Construction Company—the firm responsible for building the lines—operational control shifted to the Metropolitan on October 6, 1896; both organizations shared investors and leadership. Financial strains resulted in receivership during 1897; consequently, a new entity named Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway Company was established in January 1899 and assumed operations in February that year. On July 1, 1911, this company joined the Chicago Elevated Railways (CER) trust, which centralized management and introduced free transfers while maintaining separate corporate identities. In 1924, CER companies merged into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT), designating the former Metropolitan as its Metropolitan Division. Despite prolonged discussions about municipal ownership of transit services, public control was realized with creation of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in 1945; it formally took over "L" operations on October 1, 1947.
Closure and demolition
Efforts to develop a subway system in Chicago aimed at reducing traffic congestion date back to the early 1900s, though progress was slow. In 1937, the city sought funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA) to construct a subway beneath State Street. The original proposal involved two east-west streetcar tunnels through downtown, but PWA administrator Harold L. Ickes rejected this plan and instead mandated the addition of a second subway route running under Dearborn Street and Milwaukee Avenue. This alternative offered a more direct connection from Logan Square to downtown. Despite resistance from local figures, including Mayor Edward Joseph Kelly, the Dearborn subway design was approved in 1938.
The authorization of the subway did not immediately result in the closure of the Logan Square branch. Plans drawn up in 1939 suggested linking it with the Ravenswood branch and routing trains via the Douglas Park branch into a crosstown subway along Ashland Avenue. Damen Tower was reconstructed with the expectation that it would facilitate transfers between subway and elevated lines, mirroring how the State Street subway complemented the North Side main line. However, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) showed no interest in preserving either the old Logan Square elevated line or the Humboldt Park branches; consequently, switching apparatus was never installed at Damen Tower, and service on the Logan Square branch south of Damen ceased once the subway became operational.
Construction of the subway was interrupted by World War II; while progress continued on the State Street subway, federal wartime restrictions halted work on the Dearborn subway even though it was 82% complete by 1942. After the war ended, construction resumed, culminating in the opening of the Dearborn subway at midnight on February 25, 1951. This new route cut travel times from Logan Square to downtown from 28 minutes down to 15. Although not fully finished—trains ended at LaSalle station due to delays on the Congress Line—and some passengers lost direct access to the Near West Side, ridership increased by more than 60% compared to usage on the former Logan Square branch by year’s end. The subway also introduced its own Chicago Avenue station.
The segment of the old Logan Square branch located south of where the subway begins became known as the Paulina Connector. This portion connected with other parts of the "L" network but did not provide revenue service to the Loop. To reduce fire risks and discourage unauthorized entry, wooden elements of stations were removed. In 1957, one track north of Washington Junction was taken out, while southbound track remained for non-revenue movements. The section of the Connector north of Kinzie Street—including Division, Chicago, and Grand stations—was demolished in 1964, with its right-of-way sold off to neighboring property owners. A commercial structure built by CRT beneath this former "L" right-of-way across from Chicago station still exists today; its low height reflects its location beneath where tracks once ran.
Station details
The station in Chicago featured two wooden side platforms alongside a street-level station house made from red pressed brick accented with white limestone trim—similar in design to other Logan Square branch stations like California and Damen. Architectural highlights included a front bay with cornice and dentil molding containing two doors labeled "Entrance" and "Exit," intricate terra cotta ornamentation, tin canopies with hipped roofs covering each platform, and decorative cast-iron railings featuring diamond-shaped patterns. Unlike many other "L" stations, those built by Metropolitan incorporated central heating systems and basements within their station houses. The tracks and stations were constructed by West Side Construction Company, an entity associated with Metropolitan’s leadership, utilizing steel and iron materials supplied by Carnegie Steel Company.
Operations and connections
When the Metropolitan commenced service, trains operated at six-minute intervals from 6 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., switching to ten-minute intervals overnight, with an average speed of 16 mph. Unlike the Lake Street Elevated line, smoking was allowed on all Metropolitan cars until a citywide prohibition was implemented in 1918 amid influenza concerns—a restriction that remains in place today.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fares were legally set at five cents. This rate briefly increased to six cents in 1917 before stabilizing at ten cents by 1920. Starting in 1922, fare promotions offered three rides for 25 cents (roughly 8⅓ cents per ride), although single-ride fares remained at ten cents. That same year introduced the first weekly pass priced at $1.25 for travel beyond Evanston and Wilmette, marking a pioneering fare model in a major American city. Fare enforcement was generally maintained by station agents around the clock, with conductors providing intermittent service during nighttime and off-peak periods between 1931 and 1937.
By 1915, Chicago Avenue was served by two streetcar lines connecting to the station: one running westbound from Lake Shore Drive to California Avenue and another eastbound route from Austin Avenue into downtown via Milwaukee Avenue. In 1918, the downtown-bound streetcar route shifted southward to Wells Street without impacting station access. A significant restructuring by Chicago Surface Lines in 1924 merged these routes into a single line and eliminated the downtown route; streetcars traveling downtown from Halsted Street were redirected onto Chicago Avenue rather than Madison Street. By 1928, overnight service operated between 1:05 and 5:18 a.m., with daytime streetcar frequencies ranging from eight to fifteen minutes. One-man streetcars began operating in 1950; following the station’s closure, trolleybuses replaced streetcars in 1952. Generally, streetcars ran as single units; however, two-car multiple-unit trains briefly operated from late 1924 to early 1925 and again between late 1926 and 1929.
Ridership
In 1948, the station recorded a total of 387,603 passengers—a decline of 15.93% compared to the previous year’s figure of 461,031 riders. It ranked as the 115th busiest among 223 Chicago "L" stations with available ridership data that year, falling from its position as the 103rd most frequented out of 222 stations in 1947. Several stops on the Yellow Line (Niles Center) and Westchester branches were unstaffed and did not report ridership figures; additionally, some stations ceased operations during 1948. The Exchange station on the Stock Yards branch discontinued reporting after 1946, while neighboring Racine station began collecting ridership data in 1948.