Historic Garfield Boulevard 'L' Station and Overpass - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 47.660 W 087° 37.102
16T E 448624 N 4627126
The Garfield Boulevard "L" Station, part of Chicago's original "Alley L," is one of the oldest intact elevated rail stations in the United States. It was built in late 1892 to facilitate access to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Waymark Code: WM923G
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/16/2010
Views: 8
Continued from the Chicago Landmarks site: (
visit link)
"The Alley L-so-called because it ran above the alley between State Street and Wabash Avenue-was originally built to service the City's South Side residents, but the line was quickly extended south to Jackson Park in order to provide direct access to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Garfield Boulevard Station was built as part of that expansion in 1892. The station and its steel overpass spanning Garfield Boulevard are a unique remaining part of the Alley L, now part of the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line. While most of the elevated line ran above the alley and therefore required little architectural detail, the ornamental steel overpass here was designed to complement the landscaped boulevard below and serve as a gateway to the surrounding Washington Park community."
From wikipedia:
"Garfield is one of two stations on Garfield Boulevard in Chicago. It serves the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system's Green Line. It is situated at 319 E Garfield Boulevard, three blocks east of State Street. It opened on October 1, 1892. This station is the southernmost consolidated Green Line station: south of Garfield, the Green Line splits into two branches, one terminating at Ashland/63, and one at East 63rd-Cottage Grove."
From the Chicago L site
(
visit link)
"This station's design, drawn up by architect Myron H. Church, is typical of those constructed on the South Side Rapid Transit's "alley 'L'" under the viaducts. The general contractor was Alfred Walcott and the engineering was probably done by R.I. Sloan, chief engineer for the Railroad Company. Constructed of brick with stone sills and foundation, this station, in spite of painting the front of its polychrome brickwork, has survived without significant alterations. The round bay with its broad half-cone roof, the small arched window at the side (now bricked) and the flat terra-cotta cornice with brick frieze display many qualities of the Queen Anne style, with some examples of early Chicago School architecture.
The platform is a wooden deck and treads on a steel structure with a canopy of steel posts supporting a tin roof and are still in place. With the demolition of the original stations at Cottage Grove and King Drive, Garfield Blvd. is the last remaining station dating back to the first "L" line in Chicago, making it the oldest on the entire system.
The original Garfield station is the oldest station facility on the "L", with the station house and platform dating from 1892 and the platform canopies from the turn of the century. It is perhaps the oldest intact public transit station in the country, according to a report by the Chicago Commission on Landmarks."
The historic station was closed and replaced by the new, modern facility across the street in 2001. The immediate area has been in economic decline for some time.
To the east lie Washington Park, the University of Chicago and the remnants of the 1893 Fair - the Midway and the Museum of Science and Industry in Jackson Park.