Thorndale (5900N/1200W)
Thorndale Avenue and Broadway, Edgewater

Service Notes:

	Red Line: Howard
	Owl Service

Quick Facts:

Address: 1118 W. Thorndale Avenue
Established: 1915
Original Line: Northwestern Elevated Railroad
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 1921
Status: In Use

History: The interior of Thorndale station on September 4, 2001. The agent booth, with its intricate wooden moldings and decorations, is original, one of the few left in the North Side embankment stations. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) 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 immediately, but in the mid-1910s, the Northwestern began to elevate the tracks north of Wilson. Work was slow due to the city's refusal to close intersecting streets and the narrow width of the right-of-way. During the elevation process, in 1915, the Thorndale station was first opened. (Thorndale was one of the few station the "L" opened that hadn't previously been a CM&StP RR station. Other "new" stations included Edgewater Beach [Berwyn], Lawrence and Loyola.) 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. This seems to indicate that the Thorndale station at this time was temporary, as the embankment had not been completed. By early 1922, the new four track mainline was completed, allowing full express service to the city limits. It is likely that 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 identical Argyle, as well as Loyola directly to the north were reconstructed as part of the elevation.) The station is a Prairie School structure, probably designed by architect Charles P. Rawson. It is constructed of concrete, brick and stone and is typical of a number of stations designed by Rawson (including Argyle ). Thorndale is the best preserved example of a series of identical stations along this section of the Howard Line, still containing is original architectural details, many classic enamel signs and its original circular CTA® logo stenciled above the door. Thorndale is one of five Chicago Transit Authority sites that are planned to provide access to vehicles belonging to I-GO, a car-sharing program. At their August 11, 2004 meeting, the Chicago Transit Board approved the agreement between the CTA®, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) and its affiliate I-GO Car Sharing (I-GO) to promote the use of public transportation by providing additional options for public transit users. The agreement establishes a yearlong pilot program where members can access I-GO vehicles at locations adjacent to or near public transportation. 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 island platform at Thorndale, looking south on September 4, 2001 from just north of the north stairs to the station house. The canopy supports and roof structure all date from the construction of the station in the early 1920s. The new gray Current Graphic Standard sign was added in the late 1990s, though in a modified fashion: the colored tabs on either side (which would be Red here) are omitted because the existing brackets could not accommodate them. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

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	thorndale01.jpg The Thorndale station circa 1960 looking north from the northbound express track. This photograph was taken from a moving northbound North Shore Line train. (Photo from North Shore Line, from Sunday River Productions)
	thorndale05.jpg The island platform at Thorndale, looking north from the south end on September 4, 2001. The lights were replaced in the late 20th century and the metal latticed bracing between the light poles was specially installed in the late 1990s when the new, gray Current Graphic Standard name sign was installed. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	thorndale06.jpg A close-up of the entrance to Thorndale station, looking northeast in 1999. Note the 1950s-era CTA shield logo over the door in the transom. The lights, doors, and blue porcelain door signs are all original to the 1920s station. (Photo from the Chicago Transit Authority Collection)