18th (1700W/1800S)
18th Street and Paulina Street, Pilsen (Lower West Side)

Service Notes:

	Pink Line: Cermak (Douglas)
	Accessible Station

Quick Facts:

Address: 1710 W. 18th Street
Established: April 28, 1896
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Douglas Park branch

Skip-Stop Type:		Station (1951-1953)
		Station (1953-1958)
		Station (1953-1995)

Rebuilt: 1993
Status: In Use

History:

The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad's Douglas Park branch was originally planned to extend to 46th (Kenton) Avenue in its original stretch. This, however, opened incrementally. However, by April 28, 1896 , the branch was only open as far as this station, long after the other Met branches were in service. The branch was extended as far as Western by August 7th and a further extension to 40th Avenue (Crawford, later Pulaski) wasn't complete until 1902. Kenton, at the current city limits, wasn't reached until 1907.

The eastbound platform of the original 18th station, looking north in July 1963. Note the platform extension on the opposite platform and the bridge across the Burlington & Northern Railroad. For a larger view, click here. (Photo from the Chicago Transit Authority Collection)

The original station at 18th resembled many of those on the Douglas Park branch. As originally built, the headhouse was a largely rectangular building with a bay extending approximately five feet in front of the building. The one-story headhouse situated beneath the elevated tracks employed an unusual vernacular form with influences from the Craftsman and even Prairie School styles. The exterior walls were clad in dark red/brown brick with a rusticated stone base lined the bottom of the wall at ground level, while the corners had stone quoins. The Craftsman influences came through in the wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafters and the battered half-timbered "X" treatment over the front entrance. Like a Prairie School building, the roof had a low pitch, extended eaves (one of several qualities shared with the Craftsman) and the side elevations had tall, thin, banded windows. The employment of elements of these styles is interesting because they were rarely employed in rapid transit architecture and appeared here roughly five years before they were popularized. The interior was a largely open space with a ticket agent's booth built into one corner of the room. A set of fare control devices -- certainly later and perhaps even originally being turnstiles -- were set perpendicular to the agent's booth and split the station house into a paid half and an unpaid half. The floors were wooden and the walls were probably plaster with decorative wood moldings and chair rail paneling.

After passengers paid their fare and passed into the paid area, they began their trek up to the platforms. One central staircase led from the station house to a mezzanine level beneath the tracks. Part of this central staircase was enclosed, with swinging wood and glass doors at the top of the stairs. From this mezzanine landing, the stairs split to the inbound and outside platforms. Each one of these staircases also split at an intermediate level, allowing customers to enter and leave the platform from one of two locations, a helpful arrangement for passenger flow during heavy use rush hours. The stair railing structure was somewhat decorative, with curved and twisted strap metal balustrades, cast iron newel posts with small designs cast in them and carved wooden handgrips. A series of square cast iron plates with a square-in-square design of descending size were placed along the bottom of the railing near the stair treads.

The dual side platforms were each nearly identical to each other and to other Met station platforms. The flooring was treated timber planks, while the railings and balustrades were similar to those on the stairs. Added to the railing design here were larger cast iron square plates with a stylized diamond design cast into them. Each platform had a short canopy in the center of the platform, covering the stairs and a small waiting area. The canopy frame was steel, with latticed supports and bracketed rafters. The canopies had hipped roofs of corrugated metal. Strung beneath the canopy roof were incandescent lights for nighttime illumination. The platforms were additionally lit by gooseneck lamps that were integrated into the railing design, with certain posts extending above the railing -- above seven feet high, total -- and forming the fluted pole with a decorative capital onto which a gooseneck light fixture with a porcelain saucer-shaped shade with two or three incandescent light bulbs was attached. Later, these were replaced with more utilitarian shepherd's crook lights.

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This station was demolished and replaced in 1993 with the current modern, utilitarian brick, steel and glass station house and steel and concrete platform, typical of new "L" construction in the late 1980s and 1990s. The front of the new station uses alternating bands of light and dark brown brick to the left and right of the entranceway, which itself is a glass and steel curtain wall. The interior is open and functional, with brick walls and stainless steel agent's booth and fare controls. Dual elevators provide accessible access to the new dual side platforms.

The platforms use utilitarian, squared white steel railings and column beams, which support a full-width canopy. The canopy, which covers the central portion of the platform, is supported by heavy steel crossbeams and and features an arched skylight running down the center over the tracks. After opening, the flat, blank lower panels if the platform enclosure walls were painted with murals by local residents.

This station serves the historic Pilsen community, first known for its large Bohemian population after the Chicago Fire of 1871. This Lower West Side settlement took its name from Bohemia's second largest city at the time. One of the pioneer industries in the area was the Schoenhofen Brewery, established in 1862, and the McCormick Reaper Works, moved from the North Side in 1873. Today, Pilsen is the largest Hispanic community in the city, rich with culture, history and liveliness.

Douglas Renovation Project

Due to the 18th Street station's very recent construction and it current accessibility, very little work will be done at this station as part of the Douglas Rehabilitation Project. The station is already ADA compliant, can berth trains of sufficient car length, and has modern amenities. The only work at this station was the installation of a compass rose in front of the station, a feature included in all of the rebuilt Douglas branch stations.

Recent Developments

In September 2004, Dunkin' Donuts, the coffee and baked goods chain, broke ground on seven new concessions in CTA^® stations around the "L" system. One such new concession was located at 18th station. "This is the first major concerted effort to open a significant number of Dunkin' Donuts stores in CTA^® stations," said Mike Lavigne, director of development for Dunkin' Donuts. All new Dunkin' Donuts /CTA^® station stores were scheduled to be full-service. The new concession opened in 2005.

After conducting a West Side Corridor Study and holding public meetings during 2004 and 2005, the CTA^® began operation of a new service over the Cermak branch. Beginning Sunday, June 25, 2006, the new Pink Line began providing the primary rail service to the branch. Operating seven days a week during the same service hours as the Blue Line had operated, Pink Line trains operated on the Cermak branch from 54th/Cermak to Polk, then terminated around the Loop via the Paulina Connector and Lake branch of the Green Line. Service levels increased with the introduction of the Pink Line, with trains running more frequently including a 7.5-minute interval during weekday rush periods. To address community concerns, Blue Line service to the O'Hare branch from 54th/Cermak via the Dearborn Subway was maintained during morning and afternoon rush hours. The Pink Line and revised Blue Line services were instituted as an 180-day experiment, extended for additional 180-day experimental periods subsequently, while ridership and other effects were studied. As the experimental period continued, the CTA^® revised service on the Cermak branch to eliminate the rush period Blue Line trains, leaving the Pink Line to provide all service to 54th/Cermak. Although ridership had risen overall since the introduction of the Pink Line, Blue Line trains had consistently low ridership on a person-per-railcar-basis. The last day of Blue Line Cermak service was Friday, April 25, 2008.

The 18th Street platforms, looking north from the northbound side on December 23, 2002. The station follows late 20th century design, with few solid walls and a lot of white-painted steel. Note the convex arched skylight down the center line of the canopy. The station is painted with murals by neighborhood children as part of the CTA's Adopt-A-Station program. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)