State (5900S/1W)
State Street and 59th Street, Washington Park

Service Notes:

North-South Route, Englewood branch

Quick Facts:

Address: TBD
Established: November 3, 1905
Original Line: South Side Elevated Railroad, Englewood branch
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

History:

The Englewood branch of the South Side Rapid Transit began construction in 1903. It opened in segments, beginning November 3, 1905 with a shuttle from the main line at 58th Street to State Street. By December 10 it was extended to Wentworth and Princeton (actually 61st Street) on January 11, 1906. By July 13, 1997, the rest of the line was opened to its terminal at Loomis Blvd.

State Street, like some other Englewood stations, had a mezzanine-level station house even though the right-of-way beneath the structure was not used as a public thoroughfare. Stairs from the street brought passengers to the mezzanine fare controls, then flanking staircases brought riders to one of two side platforms. The platforms were typical of those on the Englewood branch, with wood decking on a steel structure. The canopies were supported from the back of the platform, with steel arched supports and latticework along the back and a hipped corrugated metal roof. Railings were simple and without ornament.

The station survived the CTA's^® July 31, 1949 North-South service revision and numerous other closings, but couldn't withstand the cutbacks that resulted in the 1973 service purge, closing without fanfare. In 1992,Wentworth and Harvard, the next stations west on the Englewood branch, closed, creating a gap about two miles long between stations.

cta6483.jpg (110k) Car 6483 leads an Englewood "A" train pulling into State station on October 2, 1972. The station was closed the following year in a massive service reduction that resulted in several station closures. (Photo by Steve Zabel, Collection of Joe Testagrose)