Halsted was a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

station located on the

Metropolitan main line The Metropolitan main line was a rapid transit line of the Chicago "L" system from 1895 to 1958. It ran west from downtown to a junction at Marshfield station. At this point the Garfield Park branch continued westward, while the Douglas Park bran ...

of the

Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid tr ...

. It was in existence from 1895 to 1958, when the entire main line was replaced by the

Congress Line The Blue Line is a Chicago "L" line which extends through The Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and across the West Side to its southwest end ...

located in the median of the nearby

Eisenhower Expressway Interstate 290 (I-290) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that runs westward from the Chicago Loop. The portion of I-290 from I-294 to its east end is officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway. In short form, it is known as "the ...

. Halsted station in particular was replaced by UIC-Halsted on the Congress Line, which eventually became part of the Blue Line.

History

The

and

Logan Square branch The Logan Square branch was an elevated rapid transit line of the Chicago "L", where it was one of the branches of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad. Diverging north from the Metropolitan's main line west of Marshfield station, it ope ...

commenced operations on May 6, 1895, containing several stations including Halsted. The main line was replaced by the

in 1958, and it and its station were demolished accordingly.

Station details

The main line had four tracks throughout its length. As originally designed, its stations had two island platforms, each between an outer track and an inner track, with the outer tracks bowing out to accommodate the platforms. This proved to produce a hazardous curve of the outer tracks, so the stations were reconfigured between 1898 and 1914. Halsted was changed to have an island platform between the inner tracks and two side platforms for each outer track. All platforms involved were wooden and built on a steel structure, and had

hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...

canopies of corrugated tin atop iron canopy frames; the original island platforms had the canopies cover approximately two-thirds of their original lengths, as well as their stairwells. Like other stations on the main line (but unlike the stations on the Metropolitan's Garfield Park and

Logan Square Logan Square may refer to: * Logan Square, Chicago, a neighborhood on the north side of the city * Logan Circle (Philadelphia) or Logan Square, a park in Philadelphia **Logan Square, Philadelphia Logan Square is a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Bou ...

branches, which had station houses with a semicircular elevation and bay windows), the original Halsted station house had a flat front, and was of brick construction with a sill and

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

of stone. Its interior had painted walls and ceiling with hardwood finishes, a bathroom and

water heater Water heating is a heat transfer process that uses an energy source to heat water above its initial temperature. Typical domestic uses of hot water include cooking, cleaning, bathing, and space heating. In industry, hot water and water heated t ...

, and a ticket agent's booth and newsstand. The station house was renovated and enlarged in the 1920s, and was changed to an off-white

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

design in the Beaux-Arts style by transit architect Arthur U. Gerber; this new station house included retail spaces next to the station entrance.

Ridership

In its last full year of operation, 1957, Halsted served 356,082 passengers, a 21.99 percent decline from the 456,486 passengers served in 1956. Its 1957 performance made it the 78th-busiest of the 133 "L" stations that were at least partially-staffed at the beginning of the year, whereas in 1956 it had been the 71st-busiest of 134 such stations. For the part of 1958 it was open, the main line's Halsted station served 117,333 passengers and was the 112th-busiest of 124 stations.

Notes

References

Works cited

* Defunct Chicago "L" stations 1895 establishments in Illinois 1958 disestablishments in Illinois Railway stations opened in 1895 Railway stations closed in 1958 {{Former Chicago "L" stations navbox, Metropolitan=Yes