Morse (6900N/1400W)
Morse Avenue and Glenwood Avenue, Rogers Park

Service Notes:

	Red Line: Howard
	Owl Service

Quick Facts:

Address: 1358 W. Morse Avenue
Established: May 16, 1908
Original Line: Northwestern Elevated Railroad
Previous Names: Rogers Park, Morse-Rogers Park

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 1921
Status: In Use

History:

CTA painters apply a fresh coat of dark green and cream paint to the Morse Avenue "L" station in 1955. Station signage used to be much more descriptive geographically: the station is identified as "Morse-Rogers Park". For a larger view, click here. (Photo from the Chicago Transit Authority Collection )

The Chicago City Council authorized the electrification of the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad's tracks from Graceland Avenue (Irving Park Road) to the city limits at Howard Avenue on July 1, 1907 to facilitate the extension of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. Unlike Evanston, they did not require that the grade-level tracks be elevated, but they did prohibit the use of a third rail for safety's sake, necessitating the use of overhead trolley wire.

The first "L" station at this site was built in 1908 and was of simple frame construction, called Rogers Park for its namesake neighborhood. In the mid-1910s, the Northwestern began to elevate the tracks north of Wilson, but work was slow due to the city's refusal to close intersecting streets and the narrow right-of-way. In early 1916, trains were moved onto a temporary trestle, but construction of a permanent embankment had to wait until the end of World War I due to a materials shortage. By early 1922, the new four track mainline was completed, allowing full express service to the city limits.

It was towards the end of this process that the current station was built, sometime in the early 1920s. (1921 seems a likely date, as this is when Argyle and Loyola directly to the south were reconstructed as part of the elevation.) This station remains is use today, with some alterations. The building, unlike its counterparts to the north and south (with the exception of Loyola), is almost entirely brick on the exterior, though it does share some of the concrete Prairie School decorations of its Charles Rawson-designed neighbors. The interior includes a concession and newspaper stand. A sign from the country's bicentennial for the station still decorates the entrance.

Between 1938 and 1942 the station's name was changed from Rogers Park to Morse Avenue.

When the CTA^® began its Evanston Express service in 1949, Expresses stopped at Morse going southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening. This stopping pattern continued until 1977, when trains made no stops between Howard and the Merchandise Mart.

Following complaints from community members and local aldermen Joe Moore at a CTA^® annual budget hearing, viaduct renewal was programmed for Granville and Morse, along with some modest station improvements at Morse. At each bridge, deteriorated concrete on the decking and abutments were to be replaced, the bridge deck was to be waterproofed and resealed, and the trackbed and trackwork over the bridge replaced.

Patching of the spalling concrete on both the Morse and Granville viaducts began in late September 2004 and was completed in January 2005. At Morse, work was undertaken in November 2004 to begin renewing the platform canopy, which was deteriorated and leaking. During the work, various tracks and portions of the platform were taken out of service during owl hours on different days so that the contractor could perform work to remove the canopy roof. Occasionally, the main entrance at Morse Avenue or the Lunt auxiliary entrance would be closed during these hours as well to accommodate work. By early December 2004, the roof was completely gone, with only the 1920s steel canopy frame remaining. The new corrugated metal roof was completed in late December 2004. The contractor was Kiewit-Western.

In 2006, the station name signs and column signs on the platform were replaced, with Current Graphic Standard signs replacing the KDR Standard graphics, and new entrance signs installed as part of a signage upgrade project on the Red Line. As part of this effort, the station also received granite compass roses inset into the sidewalk in front of the station entrance to assist customers leaving the station to navigate their way, and three-sided galvanized steel pylons in the station house and on the platform to display maps and station timetables.

The Morse island platform, looking south in 1999. Both of the enclosures -- to the left and up ahead -- house stairs down to the station house. Far up ahead, barely visible to the right of the center stair enclosure, is another set of exit stairs to the south side of Morse Avenue, currently locked and closed to traffic. Another auxiliary exit to Lunt Avenue, which also has a farecard-only high-barrier gate entrance, is behind the photographer at the north end of the platform. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

morse01.jpg (25k) The Morse station circa 1960 looking north from the northbound express track. A 6000-series train is leaving the station en route to Howard. This photograph was taken from a moving northbound North Shore Line train. (Photo from North Shore Line, from Sunday River Productions)