The Lake Street "L"'s Market Tower, at the junction where the Market Street Stub met the main line at Market and Lake streets, is seen in the distance looking northeast from Washington Street west of Market. For a larger view, click here. (Photo from the CTA Collection)

Market Tower
Market Street and Lake Street, Loop

Service Notes:

Services:
	Lake Line

Quick Facts:

Established: September 22, 1895
Original Line: Lake Street Elevated Railroad
Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

Profile:

The junction at Lake and Market streets, including the tower at track level above the intersection, is seen in this postcard from circa 1909. For a larger view, click here.

When the Lake Street Elevated first opened, the line began at Madison Street and Market Street (now Wacker Drive), ran north over Market, then turned west on Lake Street to head out to the West Side. However, the Lake Street Elevated wished to gain access directly into downtown, and the company undertook work to secure a franchise for an extension east over Lake Street to Wabash Avenue. The extension east over Lake Street into downtown created a junction at Lake and Market where the new extension met the original line. The line extension east on Lake to State came into service on September 22, 1895.

The interlocking tower at Market and Lake controlled both the junction at Market and Lake and the Lake Street Elevated's switches and signals associated with the Lake Street Bridge over the Chicago River.

The tower at Market (later Wacker) and Lake was equipped with an 11-lever Electro-Pneumatic Union Switch & Signal (US&S) machine.¹

On April 4, 1948, the CTA revised Lake "L" service, operating all trains between Forest Park and the Loop and discontinuing service into Market Street Terminal. The junction and interlocking at Market/Lake was removed from service, but Market Tower continued in use, controlling the "L"'s part of the Lake Street Bridge.

The tower, in its river bridge-controlling function, even survived a modification of the elevated structure over Wacker Drive, where 91-foot long 24-ton girders were installed to allow the removal of a set of columns in the middle of Wacker Drive and allowing the "L" structure to clear-span the wide roadway.

Market Tower was closed on October 22, 1956, with the operating controls for the Lake Street Bridge being transferred to Tower 18.

Market Tower lived on for several years after the Market Street Stub was closed and demolished, used to control the "L" signaling for the Lake Street Bridge over the Chicago River. It even survived the modification of the "L" structure on which it was located, when 91-foot long spans were erected over the former Market Street to allow the removal of "L" columns from the middle of the new, wider Wacker Drive so the "L" structure could clear-span the reconstructed roadway. The south girder is being lifted into place in this spring 1951 view looking northeast. For a larger view, click here. (Photo from the CTA Collection)

market-lake02.jpg (170k) The new 24-ton, 91-foot long bridge girder over the new Wacker Drive has been lifted into place on the south side of the Lake Street "L" structure in this view looking north in spring 1951 as a wood car passes overhead. The columns that were formerly in the middle of the widened roadway have been removed, and the structure is being held up by temporary wood supports until the girder on the north side is installed and everything is tied in. The Market Street Tower remains for the time being, where it formerly controlled the interlocking where the Market Street Stub (which would have been overhead where the photographer is standing) joined the Lake Street "L" and now only controls the "L" signals for the bridge over the river. Five years later, the tower would be closed and removed. (Photo from the CTA Collection)

Notes:

1. Correspondence with Kendrick Bisset, former CTA Director, Power and Way Engineering, 2012 March 21.