Grand (530N/1E-1W)
Grand Avenue and State Street, River North/Streeterville (Near North Side)

Service Notes:

	Red Line: State Street Subway
	Owl Service

Quick Facts:

Address: 521 N. State Street
Established: October 17, 1943
Original Line: State Street Subway
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: n/a
Status: In Use

History:

Although the State Street Subway's use of florescent lights made the platforms seem very well lit compared to older subways, it was still somewhat dim compared to today's standards. At Grand, conductor Jim Simsen peers out from his post between the 4000-series cars of a southbound train. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by the CTA, from the Bruce G. Moffat Collection)

Grand is one of a handful of stations built as part of Route 1 of Chicago's Initial System of Subways -- more popularly known as the State Street Subway -- north of downtown that followed the aesthetic design of the downtown stations but differed in layout. Identical to Chicago one stop north, Grand featured a mezzanine-level fare control area below the street intersection and dual side platforms as opposed to the island platforms more typical elsewhere in the Initial System of Subways.

The architecture of the station, described at the time as of a "modern design", was streamlined Art Moderne with some Art Deco elements, simple and austere compared to earlier subways in New York, London, Paris or other systems but very much in the style and fashion of the period in which it was designed. An informational book published in October 1943 by the Department of Subways and Superhighways entitled Chicago Subways, describe the stations this way:

Utility and beauty are blended in the modern design of mezzanine stations. Fluorescent lighting, used for the first time in any subways, provides unexcelled illumination without shadows and glare. The concrete walls of the mezzanines are covered by structural glass, and floors are red non-slip concrete.

At street-level, the entrances were very simple, consisting of stairs down from the sidewalk surrounded by simple tubular railings with a smooth identification pylon at the back with Deco rings around the top. There were stairs at each of the four corners of the intersection of Grand and State. The fare controls were at a lower mezzanine level beneath the intersection. The station mezzanines had broadly curving walls, which served to both reinforce the Moderne, streamlined architectural style employed in the Initial System of Subways stations as well as to direct passenger flow through subtle design cues. The walls were clad in gray structural glass and the relatively open mezzanine was punctuated by a row of black marble-faced structural columns dividing the paid and unpaid areas. The floors and ceilings were smooth concrete, red for the former and a neutral color for the latter. The fare control booth was made of stone walls with a small ventilation grate near the bottom and glass windows on all four sides, allowing for maximum visibility of the mezzanine for the station agents. Unlike the lozenge-shaped, angled Deco-style booths of the downtown stations, the four stations north of downtown (Grand included) had square-shaped booths. The original turnstiles were steel, with a number of self-serve coin-operated models for efficient traffic circulation. The mezzanine also had several amenities for the use of passengers, such as public phones, lockers, restrooms, and concessions. A set of stairs and an escalator connected the mezzanine to each side platform.

The dual side platforms had red no-slip concrete floors. The back wall of the platform featured off-white glazed ceramic block. This finish extended up about seven feet and was topped with a colored tile border. The station name -- "GRAND & STATE" -- was inset in the tile wall. Unlike some of the more ornate subways in other cities, the walls along side the tracks in the stations were left as unfinished concrete rather than tiled. The platforms had curved, barrel-vaulted concrete ceilings, one vault over the platform and another over the tracks, creating a soffit where they met along each platform edge. A row of I-beam steel columns supported this soffit and lined the platform edge. To aid in station identification, each station had a color scheme that was used in the accents like the tile borders, platform column color, and signage lettering and background. The colors blue, red, green, and brown were rotated in sequence beginning up at North & Clybourn. Grand's accent color was brown. A specially-designed Futura typeface was used throughout the subway on metal, tile, and backlit glass signs. Fluorescent lights and illuminated station signs hanging from the ceilings finished the decoration.

Grand was also one of the few stations that had auxiliary exits. At the north end of both side platforms was a doorway that led to a small mezzanine. Here, high-barrier rotogates allowed exiting and a stairway led to the corner of Ohio and State, one block north of Grand. The two auxiliary mezzanines did not connect, with a separate one for each platform. Although the mezzanines were built large enough to house a small ticket agent's booth or a coin- or token-only high-barrier entrance gate -- what was commonly referred to as an "iron madden" in New York City and Boston's subways -- if desired, there is no record that one was ever installed, with the auxiliary stairs serving as an exit only.

The Grand mezzanine in the early 1970s, looking much as it did when it opened. The booth in the foreground was added later for additional capacity, built to similar dimensions but of cheaper materials than the original in the background. For a larger view, click here. (CTA Photo, Graham Garfield Collection)

For the next several decades Grand station was largely unchanged. On June 27, 1968 the Ohio auxiliary exit from Grand station closed, the same day that the Polk exit from Harrison station was shuttered. Although there were others as well, one of the chief reasons for the closure of this and other auxiliary exits was the security risk that blind corners in the unattended exit posed in the days before closed circuit security cameras. A door was installed at the north end of both platforms to block access he exit, although the backlit sign that read "EXIT W. OHIO ST." remained over it for several years. The inlaid tile signs on the platform wall that pointed to the exit lasted even longer, finally being painted over in 2002. They are still present in the tile wall, however. At street level, the entrances stood for many years with nothing more than a simple chain across the stairs to stop people from descending. Of course, at mezzanine level, there was still the same exit rotogate to prevent people from entering as when the stairs were in service. Eventually, the stairs were sealed and paved over.

By the early 1970s, a second agent's booth was installed in the Grand mezzanine. Located to the west of the original booth, the auxiliary booth was a similar square shape, but was constructed of simpler materials, mostly wood. The booth provided additional passenger entrance capacity at rush hours. It was eventually removed.

Grand To Be Renovated... Eventually

On Friday, May 7, 1982, Mayor Jane Byrne announced the Subway Renovation Program. Encompassing both the State and Dearborn Street Subways, the renovation program included the continuous platforms on State between Lake and Congress and on Dearborn between Randolph and Van Buren; the 14 mezzanines along these platforms; and the four pedestrian passageways connecting the State and Dearborn Subways. In addition, mezzanines and platforms would have been renovated at Chicago, Grand, Harrison, and Roosevelt on State and the Lake Transfer and LaSalle/Congress stations on Dearborn.

At the mezzanines, the existing facilities were to be stripped back to their basic structural shell and completely renovated with gray granite panels with stainless steel accents. New fare collection facilities, lighting, flooring, and column coverings were also to be installed. A uniform system of signage and maps would be provided and facilities for the enhancement of passenger security would be incorporated. Amenities such as telephones and concession areas would also have been provided as appropriate. At the platform level, new lighting, flooring, wall, ceiling, and column treatments would have been provided. Stairways and escalators from the platforms to the mezzanines would be replaced or renovated in kind. Signage, maps, benches, and concession facilities will be compatible with those developed for the mezzanine.

Renovation began Tuesday, May 25, 1982 at the Randolph/Washington fare control mezzanine level on both the State and Dearborn subways. Work was later completed at Washington-Madison/Dearborn (1983) and both Adams/Jackson mezzanines (1991). The project never moved beyond this and work was never undertaken Grand under this program.

In the early 1990s, the John Buck Company proposed to help remodel the Grand/State station as part of their redevelopment scheme for the River North district. The stairwells would have been widened and the mezzanine station would have seen a complete rehab including new wall surfaces, fare controls, lighting, agents booth, and a new concession stand. The deal, however, apparently fell through.

The Chicago Department of Transportation continued to work to bring improvements to Grand station. Work under the current subway renovation program was originally to be completed by November 1998 at a cost of $15 million, but this date came and went. The project was then rescheduled to begin 2003 at a cost of $13 million, but this too was delayed, possibly because of city budget issues at the time. Overhaul of the Grand station was then planned for 2005, then delayed again until the spring or summer 2006. Following higher-than-expected bids and a delay in the release of earmarked funds from the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Grand subway renovation is now set to begin in September 2007.

The Grand/State contract was awarded to Walsh Construction Co., who performed the Chicago/State subway renovation among other CTA^® station projects, with a project cost of $67.2 million.¹ According to CDOT, what makes the Grand/State project more challenging, expensive and time-consuming is that the buildings on all four corners of the intersection leave no on-scene staging area for construction crews. This means that the contractor will have to bring equipment in and out each day and use small pickup trucks to shuttle in materials and remove debris. Although CDOT had estimated the work at $29 million in 2005, they decided that starting over by repackaging the project and seeking new bids would have caused further delays and pushed the final tab higher due to the escalating costs of materials. To help pay for the project, CDOT is borrowing money already earmarked for other transit projects, including $30 million in mostly federal funds set aside to renovate the Clark/Division Red Line station in 2010.²

Grand will be remodeled by CDOT in the colorful style begun with the Roosevelt/State station in 1996. The work represents one piece of an extensive campaign to renovate nearly all of the downtown subway system, from Roosevelt/State on the south to Clark/Division on the north. After Roosevelt/State, renovations were performed at the Randolph-Washington mezzanine in 1997, the Jackson-Van Buren mezzanine in 2000, Chicago/State in 2001, the Jackson platform in 2003 and at Lake on the platform and Lake-Randolph mezzanine in 2005.

The renovation project involves the complete renovation of the mezzanine and platform. The mezzanine will be expanded by about 2,000 square feet, a 40 percent increase over the existing area, allowing for more efficient travel through the station. In addition, the number of turnstiles will increase, doubling the station's passenger capacity. Upgrades are to include new granite floors, new ceramic tile walls depicting the Chicago skyline (similar to the style at rehabbed Red Line stations at Roosevelt, Chicago, Jackson and Lake), improved lighting, and security cameras. Wider stairwells will improve circulation, and the addition of elevators and escalators from street level will provide full ADA accessibility. Other improvements will include flat panel video information screens, new signage, and an improved concession area.

Reconstruction of the mezzanine and platforms will take about two years. The station will remain open to Red Line riders during the work, but some traffic lanes on both Grand Avenue and State Street will be temporarily closed, according to CDOT.

The Grand/State southbound subway platform, looking north on November 18, 2004. Although there are some new signs and different paint, the platform is largely the same as when it opened in 1943. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

	grand-state.ohio01.jpg (63k) The auxiliary exit from southbound Grand platform to Ohio Street is seen looking north at the north end of the platform on July 6, 1971, three years after the exit closed. Note that despite the presence of the heavy steel door sealing the exit, the backlit sign directing passengers to the exit is still present. (Photo from the Chicago Transit Authority Collection)
	grand-stateSign1.jpg (right) (23k) grand-stateSign2.jpg (left) (24k) Seen here are excellent examples of different versions of the same CTA sign. The one on the left was the first version from the late 1970s, in use when the Howard connected to the Englewood and Jackson Park lines, until 1993. Here, the "G" is larger and the "A" and "B" are separate. Also, while both list the South Side as a destination, the earlier sign is more specific as to exactly where the trains go. The sign on the right replaced the original in 1993 when the Howard was reconnected with the Dan Ryan. Here, the "G" is smaller and the "AB" is larger and connected. (Signs from the collection of Graham Garfield)
	grand-state05.jpg (29k) In July 2002, the CTA® painted over the inset tile signs pointing to the Ohio Street exits from the Grand subway platforms, which have been closed since 1968. The signs are still readable -- after all, the tiled lettering is depressed, so it's three-dimensional -- but not as obvious and this perhaps less confusing to novice riders. This view is on August 2, 2002. (Photo by Andrew Stiffler)

 

• Grand.wav (33k): "This is Grand." (Sound courtesy of Tony Coppoletta)

Notes:

1. Hilkevitch, J. "At last, rehab work will arrive at Grand". Chicago Tribune. July 2, 2007: Metro, pg. 1.
2. Ibid.