Roosevelt station (CTA Westchester branch)
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Defunct | 1951 |
| Fate | Branch discontinued and replaced by bus service |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Westchester branch of the Chicago "L" |
Roosevelt, initially named Westchester, functioned as a rapid transit stop on the Westchester branch of the Chicago "L" system from 1926 until the branch ceased operations in 1951. It served as the terminal station of the branch until the line was extended to 22nd Street in 1930.
History
The Westchester branch commenced service on October 1, 1926, originally designed to act as a bypass for the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (CA&E). However, it ultimately operated as a branch off the CA&E main line and was overseen by the Chicago Rapid Transit Company within the Chicago "L" network.
The terminal located at Roosevelt Road, known as "Westchester," underwent an extension toward 22nd Street near Mannheim Road beginning in 1927. This expansion necessitated a grade separation at Roosevelt Road, which was completed by September 1929 in compliance with Cook County mandates. The extension officially opened on December 1, 1930, initially functioning as a shuttle before being integrated into through service in 1933.
On December 9, 1951, the Chicago Transit Authority discontinued the branch and substituted it with bus transportation.
Station details
The architectural design of the station building combined elements of Prairie and Craftsman styles. Following the grade separation, the station was positioned on the north side of Roosevelt Road adjacent to a parking area. Passengers entered the station house, crossed a bridge spanning above the tracks parallel to Roosevelt Road, and descended onto an island platform situated between the rail lines.
Ridership
In 1948, Roosevelt station recorded a total of 90,188 passengers, marking an 18.94% decrease from the 111,267 riders counted in 1947. It represented the farthest Westchester branch station with available ridership statistics; data were not collected for Canterbury or Mannheim/22nd stations. Within the entire Chicago "L" system, Roosevelt ranked as the 205th busiest out of 223 staffed stations in 1948, a slight drop from its position at 204th among 222 stations in 1947. Several stations on both the Westchester branch and Niles Center branch operated without staff and did not report ridership figures. Additionally, closures of some "L" stations during 1948 influenced overall ridership data compilation.