|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Central
(5600W/400N)
Cemtral Avenue and
Corcoran Place, Austin
Service Notes:
Green Line: Lake
Quick Facts:
Address: 350 N. Central Avenue
Established: April 19, 1899
Original Line: Lake Street Elevated Railroad
Previous Names: none
Rebuilt: 1962, 1994-96 (renovation)
Skip-Stop Type:
Station
Status: In Use
History:
The first Central station was built as part of the Lake Street Elevated's 1899 extension west from Laramie Avenue into Cicero Township and what is now the suburban of Oak Park. After leaving Laramie the line descended from the elevated strucutre down to ground level and continued to the terminal at-grade. Central was the first station along this at-grade extension.
The stations on this portion consisted of island stations and platforms constructed of wood. The narrow station houses with their clapboard paneling and eaved peaked roofs emptied out onto an island platform covered by a peaked canopy that was actually a continuation of the station house's roof. Utilizing overhead trolley wire for traction power for safety purposes due to grade-level running, the tall steel poles that carried the "L"'s overhead wires occasionally poked through the canopy, interrupting the platform.
The ground-level running began to cause a number of crossing accidents, especially after the parallel Chicago & North Western RR elevated their right-of-way, creating a blind corner for cars and pedestrians travleing southbound. This erupted into yet another bone of contention between the suburban village and the "L" company, but also included the City of Chicago, where tracks also ran at grade from 52nd Avenue to Central. Finally, 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 station houses were small, tucked underneath the concrete embankment. The new Lake Street stations had individual tile colors, both on the exterior and the interior walls. The station entrance is on the northwest corner of Central 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.
Central was made ADA accessible as part of the 1994-96 Green Line renovation.
|
|
This Chicago-L.org article is a stub. It will be expanded in the future as resources allow. |
 |
central-lake_signEB.jpg
(34k) |
|
|
|
