Austin (6000W/400N)
Austin Boulevard and W. Corcoran Place, City of Chicago

Service Notes:

Green Line: Lake

Quick Facts:

Address: 351 N. Austin Boulevard
Established: January 25, 1901
Original Line: Lake Street Elevated Railroad
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 1962
Status: In Use

History:

The first station at Austin/South Boulevard was built as part of the Lake Street Elevated's 1901 extension along South Boulevard in Oak Park. The stations on this portion consisted of island stations and platforms constructed of wood.

In 1962 the tracks were elevated onto an embankment, requiring the demolition of the old original wooden stations and the construction of new ones. The new Austin station was small, tucked underneath the concrete embankment. The new Lake Street stations had individual tile colors, with Austin sporting gray glazed tile, both on the exterior and the interior walls. The station entrance is on the northeast corner of Austin Blvd. and Corcoran Place, south of the embankment. Natural light is allowed into the small structure with large Plexiglas windows. The interior is small, with room only for a stainless steel agent's booth and a couple turnstiles, the latter of which is now replaced with Transit Card turnstiles. The platform is of the island variety, with a wooden floor and a steel canopy supported by I-beams. The platform lights are unusual, found only in Oak Park suburban stations, with a thin pole and a conical head with a convex saucer as a cap.

Austin has an auxiliary entrance one block east at Mason Avenue from 1962 to 1973. In 1973, it became an auxiliary exit. It was later closed completely.