Wells Street Station was a passenger terminal of the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

, located at the southwest corner of

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 ...

and Kinzie 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 ...

. It was replaced in 1911 by the

Chicago and North Western Terminal The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (; formerly Chicago and North Western Terminal) is a commuter rail terminal in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is the terminus for the three commuter rail lines of Metra's Union Pacific District to Chica ...

on the other (west) side of the North Branch of the Chicago River, removing passenger trains from the

Kinzie Street railroad bridge The Chicago and North Western Railway's Kinzie Street railroad bridge (also known as the Carroll Avenue bridge or the Chicago and North Western Railroad Bridge) is a single leaf bascule bridge across the north branch of the Chicago River in dow ...

over the river. 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 ...

opened in 1930 on the land formerly occupied by the station.

History

The first station at Wells Street was built by the

Galena and Chicago Union Railroad The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU) was a railroad running west from Chicago to Freeport, Illinois, never reaching Galena, Illinois. A later route went to Clinton, Iowa. Incorporated in 1836, the G&CU became the first railroad built out ...

, the first railroad in Chicago. When the railroad opened in 1848 it operated out of a depot on the west side of the Chicago River, near the corner of Canal and Kinzie Streets. In 1851 the railroad began to purchase the land needed to build a new station to the east of the river, and construction of this station at Wells Street took place during 1852 and 1853. On February 15, 1865 the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad merged with the

. The first Wells Street station was destroyed in the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871, a temporary wooden structure replaced it until, in 1881 the Wells Street Station opened in the same location. The Wells Street Station was bounded by the Chicago River to the south and west, Kinzie Street to the north and Wells Street to the east leaving no room for expansion; furthermore, as both rail and ship traffic increased, the movable bridge over the river resulted in congestion. In 1911 the new

opened, with new elevated approaches branching from the old ones west of the river. The station remained for freight, and when the

opened in 1930 (using

air rights Air rights are the property interest in the "space" above the earth's surface. Generally speaking, owning, or renting, land or a building includes the right to use and build in the space above the land without interference by others. This legal ...

above the railroad), a new freight station served the Mart, and was connected by

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 to the

Chicago Tunnel Company The Chicago Tunnel Company was the builder and operator of a narrow-gauge railway freight tunnel network under downtown Chicago, Illinois. This was regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission as an interurban even though it operated entire ...

References

External links

{{Chicago terminals Railway stations in Chicago

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

Former buildings and structures in Chicago Towers in Illinois Clock towers in Illinois Demolished railway stations in the United States Former railway stations in Illinois Railway stations in the United States opened in 1853 Railway stations closed in 1911 1853 establishments in Illinois 1911 disestablishments in Illinois