Marshfield Station

Marshfield station

Company type	Rapid transit station
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	1895
Defunct	1954
Fate	Closed and demolished
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Products	Rapid transit services

Marshfield functioned as a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L" from 1895 until 1954. Constructed by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, it was positioned as the furthest west stop on the Metropolitan’s main line prior to its division into three separate branches. Additionally, from 1905 to 1953, the station served the Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railway (AE&C) and its successor, the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (CA&E), both interurban rail services.

The Metropolitan, one of four operators of the "L," became part of the Chicago Elevated Railways (CER) trust in 1911. This trust later consolidated into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) in 1924, which managed operations until the publicly controlled Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) assumed control in 1947. The CA&E was established following the AE&C’s division in 1921.

During the 1950s, modernization plans led to replacing the Logan Square branch with a subway to provide direct downtown connectivity. Concurrently, a rapid transit right-of-way was developed within the Eisenhower Expressway median for both the main line and Garfield Park branch. These developments resulted in a phased discontinuation of services at Marshfield: Logan Square trains were rerouted in 1951, followed by Garfield Park and CA&E trains ceasing service in 1953. Douglas Park trains continued until April 1954 before switching to a temporary downtown alignment. The Congress Line, inaugurated in 1958, preserved the junction once served by Marshfield but relocated the station eastward to Racine Avenue. A Medical Center station entrance on this new route was located one block west along Paulina Street.

History

The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company obtained a 50-year franchise from the Chicago City Council on April 7, 1892, subsequently securing necessary right-of-way. Its network comprised a main line extending westward from downtown Chicago, which branched into three directions: northwest towards Logan Square, west to Garfield Park, and southwest to Douglas Park, serving Chicago’s west side neighborhoods. An additional branch extended further west from Logan Square to Humboldt Park. The franchise mandated this split between Wood Street and Ashland Avenue, with the junction located at Marshfield Avenue.

Although initially intending to use steam locomotives like other railroads, the Metropolitan transitioned to electric traction by May 1894. Most track construction had been completed prior to this change, but adapting them for a third rail system was relatively straightforward except at Marshfield junction—a complex structure described even in 1948 as "the most elaborate and complex junction on the Chicago elevated system." By October 1894, main line and Logan Square branch tracks were finished and electrification for testing was completed by April 1895. Service commenced on May 6, 1895, with eleven stations including Marshfield, marking it as the first revenue electric elevated railroad in America. The Garfield Park branch began operations June 19; Douglas Park service followed on April 28, 1896.

Initially operated by the West Side Construction Company, management transferred to the Metropolitan on October 6, 1896; both entities shared investors and leadership. Financial difficulties led to receivership in 1897. A reorganization resulted in a new Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway Company formed in January 1899 that resumed operations on February 3.

The interurban Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railway (AE&C), incorporated in 1901, launched service on August 25, 1902, linking Aurora with the Garfield Park branch’s Laramie Avenue station within Chicago. In 1905, AE&C and Metropolitan agreed on trackage rights permitting AE&C trains access downtown via Metropolitan tracks and Wells Street Terminal; reciprocally, Metropolitan trains could operate westward on AE&C tracks to Forest Park. After financial struggles culminating in bankruptcy during 1919 due to inflation and regulatory pressures, AE&C split in 1921 forming the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (CA&E).

On July 1, 1911, the Metropolitan joined other Chicago "L" companies under the umbrella of Chicago Elevated Railways (CER), an informal trust that unified management and introduced free transfers starting in 1913 while maintaining company independence. This arrangement persisted until January 9, 1924, when all companies merged into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT), designating former Metropolitan lines as its Metropolitan Division. Despite ongoing discussions about municipal ownership of transit systems over many years, public control was only realized with creation of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in 1945 which took over "L" operations effective October 1, 1947.

Closure and demolition

Efforts to create a Chicago subway system aimed at reducing congestion and possibly replacing elevated lines date back to the early 1900s, though advancement was slow. In 1938, a proposal emerged for a subway extending from the west side into downtown, followed by a 1939 plan suggesting the replacement of the main line and Garfield Park branch with transit running within a superhighway corridor (later known as Interstate 290 or the "Eisenhower") along Congress Street. These proposals intended to link rapid transit from the northwest side through downtown, moving away from the traditional trunk-and-branch configuration.

Subway construction was postponed due to World War II but eventually commenced, with service beginning on February 25, 1951, rerouting Logan Square and Humboldt Park trains away from Marshfield Junction. Despite city council approval in 1940 and formal authorization in 1946, work on the expressway and Congress Line had yet to start. Right-of-way clearance began in 1949 and was mostly finished by 1952, leaving only the elevated "L" structure obstructing the future expressway route. On December 9, 1951, several stations including Laflin were closed, and weekday skip-stop service was introduced; Marshfield remained an all-stop station.

As construction progressed, Garfield Park trains were diverted onto temporary ground-level tracks along Van Buren Street between Kedzie and Halsted, bypassing intermediate stations such as Marshfield and Racine. Marshfield was designated a "B" station while Halsted became the transfer hub between Garfield Park and Douglas Park lines. These changes took effect for westbound trains on September 20, 1953, and for eastbound trains on September 27. The financially troubled CA&E declined to operate on the at-grade tracks due to safety risks and delays caused by traffic signals. After regulatory agencies blocked attempts to replace rail service with buses, CA&E discontinued operations east of Des Plaines on September 20, leaving Douglas Park trains as the only service stopping at Marshfield and Racine.

On April 4, 1954, Douglas Park trains began utilizing the Paulina Connector to access the Loop via the Lake Street Elevated line, ending service to Marshfield and Racine stations; these stations were subsequently demolished. Following this reconfiguration, passengers transferring between Douglas Park and Garfield Park lines used Madison/Wells or State/Van Buren stations. The Congress Line opened through Marshfield on June 22, 1958, merging with the subway and Douglas branch (then known as "Douglas") to form the "West-Northwest Route." A new Racine Avenue station became the last stop before the Douglas branch split off. West of this junction, Medical Center station on the Congress Line included an additional exit near Paulina Street, located one block west of Marshfield Avenue.

Station details

Situated at 416 South Marshfield Avenue within Chicago’s Near West Side district, the station was part of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad’s network which featured amenities such as restrooms, drinking fountains, newsstands, waiting areas, bicycle storage racks, staff announcements, and dedicated space for baby carriages. Unlike many other "L" stations, its street-level station houses were equipped with central heating systems and basements.

Marshfield featured two island platforms positioned between inner and outer tracks; after AE&C service commenced, a supplementary side platform was constructed on the northern Garfield Park track just west of the junction. A pedestrian bridge connected both "L" platforms with the interurban platform. East of Marshfield station, tracks divided into two pairs operating bidirectionally: Logan Square and Humboldt Park trains utilized the northern tracks and platform while Garfield Park and Douglas Park trains ran on the southern tracks and platform. The interlocking included three hand-operated switches. Paige Iron Works of Chicago manufactured the junction’s switches and signals; a control tower was located on the southern platform. West of Marshfield station lay another junction where the Douglas Park branch separated from Garfield Park tracks, effectively creating two distinct junctions within this overall configuration.

Operations

At the outset, Metropolitan trains operated at six-minute intervals between 6 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., with ten-minute headways overnight on both the main line and Northwest branch, averaging . By 1898, nighttime service was modified to run every 30 minutes per branch, or every 7.5 minutes along the main line. The Westchester branch, added in 1926 as an extension of the Garfield Park branch, provided express service from Canal to Laramie, bypassing stops at Marshfield.

The Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (CA&E) stopped at Marshfield to board passengers heading west and to allow eastbound passengers to disembark; however, to prevent direct competition with the "L," eastbound boarding at Marshfield and westbound alighting within the "L" territory were prohibited. Starting in 1934, certain morning rush hour CA&E trains discharged eastbound passengers at Laflin instead of Marshfield, shifting by 1950 primarily to Ogden for eastbound alighting, though some stops at Marshfield persisted. CA&E trains were restricted to on "L" tracks but were given priority over slower "L" trains when crossing over east of Marshfield.

Initially, station agents at Metropolitan worked around the clock; eventually, fare collection during nighttime and off-peak hours on several branches transitioned to conductors aboard trains, while full-time agents remained on the main line. Unlike other elevated lines that issued tickets for presentation to staff, Metropolitan riders paid fares directly to station agents who recorded them—a method later adopted throughout the system. In contrast, CA&E tickets were sold by conductors who verified them onboard; fares purchased on the train included a ten-cent surcharge compared to advance sales.

Neighborhood and connections

A working-class community emerged around the station, replacing what had previously been a more affluent district. Situated beneath the CA&E platform was the Dreamland Ballroom, formerly owned by CRT. Nearby landmarks included Coyne Electrical School, Presbyterian Hospital, and the headquarters for Alden's retail catalog. By the 1940s, the area housed diverse populations including African American, Greek, Italian, Jewish, and Mexican residents; although city officials labeled it as blighted, local inhabitants contested this description.

A streetcar line had operated along Ashland Avenue since the late 1800s, diverting near the station to avoid a boulevard before returning to Ashland Avenue. By the early 1900s, this route was among Chicago’s "Big Five" streetcar lines known for high ridership and frequent service. Another streetcar ran along Van Buren Street adjacent to the Metropolitan tracks; it was electrified in 1896 after previously being horse-drawn. Both lines provided overnight service by 1928. Van Buren streetcars were replaced by buses in 1951, followed by the discontinuation of Ashland streetcars in 1954.

Ridership

In 1900, Marshfield station served 499,538 "L" passengers, with numbers steadily increasing until reaching a peak of 1,538,319 in 1926. Ridership last surpassed one million in 1929 before declining back toward early-century levels. In 1953, Marshfield accommodated 688,433 passengers—a decline of 3.48% from 1951—and managed 135,928 passengers during its limited operation in 1954.

During 1953, Marshfield ranked mid-tier among main line stations in ridership, exceeding both Racine and Franklin/Van Buren but falling behind Canal and Halsted. Across the entire system that year, it was the 68th busiest out of 137 staffed stations. These figures reflected only originating riders and likely underestimated total usage.

The CA&E did not provide station-specific ridership data but reported annual totals below four million from 1949 onward—a decline that worsened after direct service into Chicago ended in September 1953. This change caused ridership to drop by half by December as commuters shifted to the Chicago and North Western Railroad or personal vehicles. Facing dwindling patronage, CA&E abruptly ceased passenger operations at midday on July 3, 1957, stranding some morning commuters without return options.

External links

• A narrated perspective on Marshfield station from the late 1940s to early 1950s (provided by GPS Videos on YouTube)