Kedzie (3200W/4700N)
Kedzie Avenue and Leland Avenue, Albany Park

Service Notes:

	Brown Line: Ravenswood
	Accessible Station
	Park'n'Ride: 50 spaces

Quick Facts:

Address:	4648 N. Kedzie Avenue (Kedzie entrance)
	4649 N. Spaulding Avenue (Spaulding auxiliary entrance)

Established: December 14, 1907
Original Line: Northwestern Elevated Railroad, Ravenswood branch
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 1975 (new station house), 2006
Status: In Use

History:

A CTA Training Train, led by car 4391, pulls out from the Kedzie station on the Ravenswood branch on August 20, 1970. The design of this two-story station was unique, though it was similar to Linden in some respects. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Joe Testagrose)

After the initial construction of the Ravenswood branch of the Northwestern Elevated to Western Avenue was placed into service May 18, 1907, the finishing touches were completed on the surface level extension to Kimball and Lawrence, which entered service December 14, 1907. Initially, shuttle trains ran from Kimball to Western, but direct-to-Loop service wasn't far off.

The stations on the grade-level portion of the line were between the tracks, with an entrance to the island platform. The area west of Western was in a tract of land owned by the Northwest Land Association, who viewed the rapid transit extension as integral to their development. (This also negated the need for a franchise from the city of build this section since, technically, the tracks didn't cross any city-owned public streets.) The land association not only provided for the free right-of-way, but also paid for the construction of the Kedzie station.

The original Kedzie station, a much larger structure than its grade-level neighbors to the east Francisco and Rockwell, was designed by architect Arthur U. Gerber. The bracketed hipped roof was similar to other bungaloid structures Gerber designed elsewhere on the "L", including the next station west, Kimball, and Linden in Wilmette.

It was used until 1974, when the 1907 station house was demolished. According to a CTA^® customer service agent, it may have fallen pray to a fire. At this point, a new station facility -- an enclosed walkway constructed of a black steel framework with large Plexiglas windows and skylights housing the fare controls -- was constructed, completed in 1975. The original platform and platform canopy remained intact.

Four days after the station's closure for reconstruction, crews have begun dismantling the station, removing the plexiglas panels and interior equipment, seen looking west on February 24, 2006. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

The station contained a second exit at the west end to Spaulding Street. This was, at one time, an auxiliary, part-time entrance as well, but was closed as a secondary entrance on September 2, 1973, one of several station-related cutbacks that year in the midst of severe financial shortages. Spaulding was retained as exit.

Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project

By 2004, ridership had exploded on the Brown Line -- an 79% increase since 1979 and a 27% increase since 1998 -- that during peak periods many trains were at crush-loaded, resulting in commuters left standing on platforms unable to board the loaded trains, sometimes waiting as one or two trains passed before they were physically able to board. The problem in large part was that all Brown Line stations could only accommodate six-car trains (with the exception of Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Fullerton and Belmont, which could already hold eight-car trains), which, along with the limitations of the cab signal system, limited the line's capacity.

As a result, the CTA^® decided to plan for the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project, the largest capital improvement project undertaken by the CTA^® at the time (surpassing even the Douglas Renovation Project, which was the largest up to that point). The main objectives of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project are to expand the line's overall ridership capacity by lengthening station platforms to accommodate eight rather than six-car trains, rehabilitate rail infrastructure and stations, provide for station enhancements to meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and upgrade or replace traction power, signal and communication equipment. By far, the largest part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project was the station renovations. Of the Brown Line's 19 stations, only one (Merchandise Mart) was not touched at all due to its modern construction (1988) and ability to berth eight-car trains.

By June 4, 2006, the new station's foundation and basic steel structure was in place. A small chainlink fence protected the work site from passersby on the street. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

On April 13, 2004, the CTA^® announced that it had officially received a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). However, in May 2004, CTA^® received construction bids for the project that substantially exceeded the budget. As such, the Chicago Transit Board voted on June 9, 2004 to reorganize the project into several discrete pieces to help attract more competitive construction bids. Station renovation work was modified and grouped into five separate packages according to location to help reduce the overall cost of station construction. Kedzie station was grouped with Kimball, Francisco, Rockwell and Western in a bid package, all of which were designed by the same consultant, Muller & Muller. Station designs were also revised to reduce costs. Most changes concentrated on non-customer areas such as reducing the size of janitor closets, employee restrooms, electrical rooms and communication rooms. Other areas that were studied for cost reduction were standardizing common station elements, the use of less expensive materials, canopy designs and coverage, and temporary station closures to provide contractors better access to the sites.

The Kimball/Kedzie/Francisco/Rockwell/Western contract -- sometimes referred to as "the at-grades" -- was the third of the reorganized station packages to be bid out. At the September 14, 2005 board meeting, a $19.9 million contract for the renovation of these stations was awarded to FHP Tectonics Corporation.

At Kedzie, the existing station house and platforms were rebuilt. The new entrance is a simple, modern structure with a steel framework, glass walls, and an arched roof. The new expanded station house is larger, with more turnstiles and AVMs, and provides ADA accessibility by way of a ramp from the street to the platform within the station house. The station house's paid area provides an ample enclosed space to wait for trains and includes heat lamps and a decorative leaning bar. The existing auxiliary rotogate exit at Spaulding was retained and upgraded to be an auxiliary entrance, with a smaller version of the main entrance station house enclosing the fare controls, which will ultimately be High-Barrier Gates (HBGs) but which are, for now, turnstiles (see more below).

The interior of the rebuilt Kedzie station is seen looking west on August 16, 2006, reopening day. The new station house is spacious, with tall ceilings and generous paid and unpaid areas. The new CA booth has large expanses of glass for improved visibility. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

The new 8-car platform features new wood decking with new, modern lighting. Protection from inclement weather is provided by canopied windbreak shelters. Other improvements to the station include new signage; tactile edging along the platform; benches that double as sandboxes as well as small individual stools to sit on; electrical, communications, and HVAC equipment; new customer heaters; and a state-of-the-art announcement system.

During station construction, Kimball, Kedzie, Francisco, and Rockwell were subject to temporary station closures; however, no two adjacent stations were to be closed at the same time during weekdays so customers may go to the next closest station for service. In addition to the temporary weekday closures, the stations also experienced weekend closures during the construction period when all four stations were closed at the same time to allow construction crews unlimited access to station platforms. During periods of temporary closure, customers were encouraged to use the most convenient existing CTA^® bus and rail service in the area, including special shuttle buses between Kimball and Western that made stops near the closed Brown Line stations.

Both Kedzie and Rockwell closed on February 20, 2006 for six months while construction work moved forward. During the weekday, rail customers could go to the next closest station for Brown Line service, or choose from eight neighborhood CTA^® bus routes to meet their transit service needs.

The Kedzie and Rockwell stations on the Brown Line reopened to rail service at 4:45am on Wednesday, August 16, 2006. The two stations reopened two days earlier than originally planned, according to CTA^® President Frank Kruesi.

Construction work continued at the stations for several weeks after they reopened to complete construction. While the majority of the work -- including accessibility to customers with disabilities -- had been completed to the point that the stations could reopen for passenger use, finishing touches completed after the stops reopened included installing permanent station signs, compass roses inset in the sidewalk in front of the entrances to help customers more easily navigate the system, and new fencing along the adjacent alleys.

Opening the Kedzie and Rockwell stations brought the total number of accessible CTA^® rail stations as of August 2006 to 74 out of 144 or 51 percent.

The project's Full Funding Grant Agreement with the federal government requires that the CTA^® complete the project by the end of 2009.

The rebuilt Kedzie station platform is seen looking east on August 16, 2006, the day the station reopened. The station features an all-new 8-car length island platform with new, modern light standards and stools for sitting. The signage and fencing on reopening day was temporary , later to be replaced with permanent installations. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

	kedzie03.jpg (124k) 1-50-series single unit car 32 heads into the Kedzie station on its way to Kimball. The bungalow station house was destroyed by fire in the late-1970s. (Photo by Leon Kay)
	kedzie04.jpg (128k) Flat-door 6000-series car 6014 leads a westbound Ravenswood train approaching Kedzie station from the east. (Photo by Leon Kay)
	cta6053.jpg (137k) Car 6053, picking up the tail of a Ravenswood "B" train, passes the Kedzie station house and approaches the platform on August 20, 1970. Note the Prairie School stylings of the Bungalow station house. (Photo by Joe Testagrose)
	cta6721.jpg (102k) Car 6721 leads a Ravenswood "B" train at Kedzie on July 8, 1975. Only 720 6000s were actually made; car 6721 was originally numbered 6454. The platform is the same today, but with new lights. (Photo by Doug Grotjahn, Collection of Joe Testagrose)

Old Kedzie station (1975-2006)

	kedzie02.jpg (73k) CTA carpenters quickly restored the Kedzie station after a flash fire destroyed most of the platform and canopied areas. This shot looking northeast shows Kedzie's old shepherd's crook lights, wooden partition and flat-roofed canopy. (Photo from CTA Transit News)
	kedzie01.jpg (85k) The Kedzie station circa 1999. The surrounding buildings, crossing gates, platform, and telephone pole all remain, but the station house has been replaced by a nondescript steel and glass fare collection enclosure. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie05.jpg (169k) The entrance to the modern Kedzie station, looking north in 1999. The backlit "Use Rapid Transit" sign, a standard installation in most CTA stations in the 1970s and '80s, was removed circa 2000. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie06.jpg (155k) The peaked station canopy, with it's simple wooden beams and brackets -- seen here looking east on October 8, 2002 -- is all that's left of the original 1907 station that burned down in 1974. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie.spaulding01.jpg (129k) After the station opened, an auxiliary entrance/exit was built at Spaulding, the street at the west end of the station. By the CTA era, it was only a part-time entrance, with a switch in the agent's booth that released the rotogate to allow ingress during manned hours. In 1973, Spaulding was closed as an entrance, but retained as an auxiliary exit. The agent's booth was later removed. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	cta3338.jpg (98k) Looking east on the Kedzie island platform, car 3338 picks up the rear of a southbound Brown Line train as it enters the Kedzie Avenue grade crossing on July 16, 2000. Note the juxtaposition of the original 1906 wooden platform and canopy and the 1970s steel and glass fare collection area in the background. (Photo by Mike Farrell)
	cta3415.jpg (135k) Peaking out from around the station entrance enclosure, car 3415 leads a Brown Line train into Kedzie station, heading northbound on July 16, 2000. (Photo by Mike Farrell)
	cta3416.jpg (89k) After depositing passengers at Kedzie station, a northbound Brown Line train begins the short final leg of its trip to Kimball on July 16, 2001 with car 3416 trailing. (Photo by Mike Farrell)

	kedzie14.jpg (121k) The new Kedzie station's modern steel and glass station house, with its arched roofline and tall ceiling, is evident in this artist's conception looking northwest. (Image provided courtesy of the Chicago Transit Authority)
	kedzie08.jpg (199k) By February 24, 2006, four days after the station closed, crews have removed the plexiglas panels from the station's enclosure and had dismantled the Customer Assistant's booth (which had been on the raised base on the right), seen through the chainlink fence at the sidewalk. The rest of the old station entrance would be removed within days. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie09.jpg (206k) Contractors slowly dismantled the old Kedzie station, looking east on February 24, 2006, as CTA® flagmen protect the workers from passing trains. The platform lights have already been removed, the resulting holes covered by plywood, and workers are dismantling other parts of the station in the background. A plywood signs with a spray-painted message reminds train operators not to stop at the station. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie.spaulding02.jpg (230k) Just a few days after the station had closed, contractors had already removed the walkway, fencing, and rotogate from the Spaulding auxiliary entrance, seen looking east on February 24, 2006. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie10.jpg (154k) On February 25, 2006, FHP Tectonics crews dismantled the 1907 station canopy. The 2-car canopy was removed by cutting each bay apart into separate pieces with saws, then lifting each bay out with a crane. Here, looking west, the crew has cut the center support posts of the last bay, allowing the roof to be lowered down a bit before the crane will lift it up and clear of the right-of-way. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie12.jpg (237k) The "interior" of the new Kedzie station is seen looking west on June 4, 2006 through the chainlink fence at the sidewalk that closed off the work site. The foundation and steel structure are in place, and workers have begun priming and painting the steelwork. Otherwise, the interior was still rough at this stage, with exposed rebar and unfinished floors. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie13.jpg (191k) By the time of this June 4, 2006 view looking east, the steel structure for the new station house and the steel supports and wooden stringers for the platform were in place, and the platform decking was installed. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie.spaulding03.jpg (223k) Looking east on June 4, 2006, the foundation was in place and the steel framework for the entrance enclosure was erected, primed, and painted, and the stairs were installed at the Spaulding auxiliary entrance. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie17.jpg (226k) Rather than place benches inside the spacious paid area in the rebuilt Kedzie station house, a decorative "leaning bar" is present along the south wall, seen on August 16, 2006. The leaning bar's gentle, organic curves have an almost Art Nouveau feel. A leaning bar, used in many modern transit facilities around the world, allow passengers to rest while waiting for a train without being able to lie down. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie19.jpg (199k) In the absence of a platform canopy, the rebuilt Kedzie platform has several specially-built shelters along the platform, with arched roofs that reflect the design of the station houses. Still in an unfinished state in this August 16, 2006 view, the roofing and side panels had yet to be installed, with plywood temporarily providing some side enclosure. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie20.jpg (182k) Brown Line trains stop in both directions at the new Kedzie station, looking east on August 16, 2006, reopening day. Both Brown Line trains' railcars feature "rail king" ad panels for US Cellular. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie.spaulding04.jpg (206k) The Spaulding auxiliary entrance is seen looking east on August 16, 2006. The Spaulding entrance is designed to be an unmanned High-Barrier Gate (HBG) entrance, but for the first several months the entrance will be manned to provide a more full-service entrance while nearby Kimball station is closed. As a result, a temporary wooden Customer Assistant booth is installed on the sidewalk in front of the station to give the staff assigned to the entrance someplace to work. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	kedzie.spaulding05.jpg (181k) Although the Spaulding entrance to Kedzie is designed to be an unmanned High-Barrier Gate (HBG) entrance, as evidenced by the station entrance sign overhead, the entrance as opened on August 16, 2006 had turnstiles and farecard vending machines installed and a Customer Assistant or security guard assigned to provide a more full-service entrance. This provides a better alternative while the nearby Kimball station is closed. After Kimball reopens, this equipment will likely be removed and replaced with HBGs. (Photo by Graham Garfield)