Hubbard Street is a street in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

named for early settler

Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard (August 22, 1802 – September 14, 1886) was an American fur trader, insurance underwriter, and land speculator. He was influential in the development of the city of Chicago and responsible for its growth during the 19t ...

. Hubbard Street has three distinct sections. The first, east of the Chicago River, runs from Kingsbury Street to Michigan Avenue. The second, longer section runs from Des Plaines Street west to Campbell Avenue (2500 W) The third and shortest section is a three-block stretch from Kilpatrick Avenue (4700 W) to Lavergne Avenue (5000 W) where it ends at the Hubbard Playlot Park. Notable buildings on this street include Courthouse Place at 54 W. Hubbard.

Hubbard's Cave

Where Hubbard Street crosses over the

Kennedy Expressway The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a nearly freeway in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Portions of the freeway carry I-190, I-90 and I-94. The freeway runs in a southeast–northwest direction between the central city neighborhood of the W ...

, there is a long underpass popularly known as Hubbard's Cave. The underpass is about a quarter of a mile in length, and actually extends from Hubbard Street to Wayman Street. This tunnel-like section of the expressway was very dark to drive through until lights were added in 1962.

Murals

Running along the south side of Hubbard Street, from Ogden Avenue to Des Plaines Street, is the artwork of the Hubbard Street Mural Project. The murals are painted on the walls of the Metra tracks embankment. Originally begun in the 1970s, the murals have been in the process of restoration or replacement as the Union Pacific Railroad has been making repairs to the concrete structure.

Streetscape

The

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with of floor space. The Art Deco structure is locate ...

stands one block to the south of Hubbard Street between Franklin Street and Orleans Street, and several buildings on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

stand on the street including Courthouse Place.

Transit

At the intersection of Hubbard and N Artesian Avenue is the Western Avenue station for Metra's Milwaukee District North (MD-N), Milwaukee District West (MD-W), and North Central Service (NCS) lines. Metra does not currently maintain an agent at this station and the waiting room is open from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Located nearby are the 33 Magnificent Mile Express, 49 Western, and 65 Grand buses for the Chicago Transit Authority. There is also access to the

Brown and Purple Line 'L' station on

Wells Street Wells Street is a street in the City of Westminster. It runs from Riding House Street in the north to Oxford Street in the south. It is crossed by Mortimer Street and Eastcastle Street. It is joined on its western side by Marylebone Passag ...

just south of Hubbard.

Hubbard Playlot Park

Hubbard Park is one of many playgrounds established by the City of Chicago after World War II. By 1950, the Bureau of Parks and Recreation had developed this playlot on property owned by the Board of Education in the Austin community. Several years later, the bureau added a basketball court to the original sandbox, spraypool, and playground equipment. The property was transferred to the Chicago Park District in 1959. The park district installed a new soft surface playground in 1989, and purchased the property from the Board of Education the following year.

In popular culture

* The

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance company based in Chicago. Hubbard Street performs in downtown Chicago at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Hubb ...

company is named for this street. * The

Billy Goat Tavern The Billy Goat Tavern is a chain of taverns located in Chicago, Illinois. Its restaurants are based on the original Billy Goat Tavern founded in 1934 by Billy Sianis, a Greek immigrant. It achieved fame primarily through newspaper columns by ...

, made famous in a

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

skit, is located on Hubbard Street at the intersection with lower Michigan Avenue. *

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A successful journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplay ...

and

Charles MacArthur Charles Gordon MacArthur (November 5, 1895 – April 21, 1956) was an American playwright, screenwriter and 1935 winner of the Academy Award for Best Story. Life and career MacArthur was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the sixth of seven chil ...

's hit play "

The Front Page ''The Front Page'' is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. Plot The ...

" was set in the Chicago Criminal Courts Building on 54 West Hubbard Street.

References

Sources

* {{Streets in Chicago

Hubbard Street Hubbard Street is a street in Chicago, Illinois named for early settler Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard. Hubbard Street has three distinct sections. The first, east of the Chicago River, runs from Kingsbury Street to Michigan Avenue. The second, lon ...