51st is a
station on the
Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its surrounding suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago 'L' and CTA bus service. In , the system had a ridership of , o ...
's
"L" system, located in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
and serving the
Green Line. It is situated at 319 E 51st Street, three blocks east of
State Street. It opened on August 28, 1892.
History
51st was built in 1892 when the
South Side Elevated Railroad
The South Side Elevated Railroad (originally Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad) was the first elevated rapid transit line in Chicago, Illinois. The line ran from downtown Chicago to Jackson Park, with branches to Englewood, Normal Par ...
extended its line southward to serve the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. The original station was designed by
Myron H. Church and was a
brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
building with some elements of the
Queen Anne style and a half-cone
bay. The platforms at 51st were constructed like all other South Side Elevated Railroad platforms and consisted of wooden platforms with a tin canopy.
When the A/B skip-stop system was introduced in 1949, 51st became an AB station.
Because
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...
and
58th were B and A stations respectively, 51st became the transfer point between the Englewood (A) and Jackson Park (B) branches of the South Side Elevated. It served as the transfer point until 1982, when Garfield became an AB station.
51st closed in 1990, so its original canopies could be removed. The station underwent renovation during the 1994-96 Green Line closure, and its station house was replaced with a modern station house with a white and green tile facade. The platforms were also rebuilt, and steel and glass platforms replaced the old wooden ones. Construction at 51st was not completed until 1997, a year after the Green Line reopened.
Services
51st is located in and serves the
Washington Park and
Grand Boulevard neighborhoods of Chicago along with the
47th and
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...
stations. Trains toward
Harlem/Lake arrive every ten minutes, as do trains toward
Ashland/63rd and
Cottage Grove. During 2007, 340,624 passengers boarded at 51st, making it the 22nd busiest station on the Green Line.
Chicago Transit Authority ridership figures by station entrance (2007)
/ref>
51st has two elevated side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s which serve the Green Line's two tracks. A station building on the south side of 51st Street houses the fare controls and connects to both platforms via stairs and elevator
An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...
s. Auxiliary exit stairs are located on the north side of 51st Street. The station is fully wheelchair accessible
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...
.
Bus connections
CTA
* 15 Jeffery Local
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links
51st Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:51st (Cta)
CTA Green Line stations
CTA stations located above ground
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1892