Day 93: Red Line, White Sox

     In 1969, the Chicago White Sox thudded to a 5th-place finish in the American League West, only managing to a achieve a 68-94 record.  However, outside of the park, big things were happening.  1969 was also the year that the Dan Ryan Branch of what would come to be known as the Red Line was being constructed, connecting Comiskey Park to the rest of the city and the transit system, giving fans a new and improved way of getting to games.

     In 1967, the city started work on a new extension of the transit system going south of the city along the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway(named for the former President of the Cook County Board, who had been a staunch advocate of the expressway system).  One of the stops was to be placed just steps away form Comiskey Park, so that stop became known as Sox-35th.  The station itself(along with the other 8 stations on the line) was built by Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill(the folks behind the Sears Tower, the Trump Tower, and several other Chicago buildings.)  The station was designed to harmonize with the other ones on the line, with windbreaks, dividers, and ticket booths all crafted from stainless steel.  Overall, the station was built to be functional and formal, with white-painted steel frames, glass enclosures, and open, uncluttered interiors.(the head house of the 35th St. Station looks somewhat reminiscent of the one in the Midway Station, except Midway's house is even bigger.)  The overarching concept in the design of the 35th Station(and all the other Dan Ryan stops) was that of "less is more". Many of the stations did not have concession stands, the washrooms were for employee use only, there were large amounts of sleek, stainless steel used in construction, and every inch of the station was designed to enhance maximum efficiency in queuing and movement of passengers.

     As with many CTA Stations, the 35th stop underwent some renovations in the early 2000s.  In 2000, an elevator was installed in the station in order to spur compliance with ADA regulations. The next year, there were new signs installed in the station, to go along with the new CTA standard(which was in part inspired by the original 1969 signage on the Dan Ryan Branch).  In 2003, the city reconstructed the 35th St. Bridge, so the station's main entrance was closed off during the work, and the 33rd St. entrance became the main entrance. When construction finished, commuters were welcomed with a new Chicago White Sox mosaic on the floor of the main entrance.  Over the next decade, not much changed at the station, with the exception of another refurbishment that took place in 2006.

     However, the biggest change is going on right now.  On May 19, 2013, Sox-35th (as well as the other eight Dan Ryan stops) closed down for 5 months to allow for a complete refurbishment of the line.  During this time, the stations will be spruced up, and the entire track structure(track, gravel, track bed, EVERYTHING) will be torn out and replaced.  While the next 5 months will prove a challenge for all South Side commuters(and baseball fans), when the station reopens in October it should have a bright future for many, many years to come.