As evident from our last installment of ‘Lost Legends’ showcasing the Prentice Women’s Hospital, once-celebrated designs may reveal impracticalities as functional demands evolve. While not “legendary” in a traditional sense, the story of the construction and later removal of Lake Shore Drive’s zig-zag ‘S’ curve conveys a similar notion of a city adapting to changing infrastructural needs.
In a wave of continuous improvements, the Chicago Transit Board has awarded the construction contract for the Austin Green Line Station. Located at 351 N Austin Boulevard within the Austin neighborhood, the project comes at a time when the Chicago Transit Authority is working on making all of its stations fully accessible by 2038. The project is being led by the CTA itself although an architect is currently unknown.
The Chicago Transit Authority has announced the partial reconstruction of the Forest Park Blue Line Branch within the Near West Side. The work will take place in two-phases and span from the LaSalle station in the east to the Illinois Medical District station in the west, eventually future phases will rebuild the entirety of the branch while making it fully accessible. The work is being led by the CTA and will be completed by the fall.
New bike infrastructure plans have been announced along parts of N Milwaukee Avenue and W Grand Avenue within West Town. The two separate projects will run on portions of the large roads as each city ward must coordinate such infrastructure within their boundaries, the lanes would bring desperately needed improvements on some of the most dangerous streets in the city. The work for both is being executed in collaboration with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) with the support of some advocacy groups.
Dearborn Station, also known as Polk Street Depot, is one of the remaining central stations in Chicago. This Printer’s Row passenger hub was once notably taller, featuring a distinctive steep pitched roof. In this seventh Lost Legends article, we will discuss the changes in the station over its 140-year history, including the fire that resulted in the loss of the additional structure.
