Day 107: Pink and Painted-The 18th St. Station

     When the city's first rail lines were put into use in the late 19th Century, the elevated system stretched pretty much  as far as it does now, and that included a stop at 18th Street west of the city.  When the stop was first built, it featured a rectangular head house with ticketing utilities and the like, and then the actual platform was located above the house, as with most other El stations.  The station's architecture existed as an early blend of Craftsman and Prairie School styles, what with the dark brick and stone bases/corners.  This fusion of styles was oddly ahead of its time, as it would be at least another five years before these designs would start to pop up in the designs of other transit stations.  Beyond the exterior, the station was filled out with turnstiles, a booth, and walls most likely made of plaster amid decorative wooden moldings.  Once you left the head house, you went up a spiral staircase to a mid-level mezzanine, where you could at that point choose to either head north or south on the train.  As was the head house, the railings also had numerous decorative touches to them that helped to liven things up.  The platforms were pretty much the same as any other platform you'd see: wooden floors, enclosed waiting areas, and lights up above for when it got dark.

     For the next century, the station stayed that way pretty much, with not too many changes.  Then in the early 1990s, the station was torn apart and replaced with a new steel and concrete facility, typical of the El style prevalent throughout the '80s and '90s.  The interior was transformed into a steel/metal hybrid that was geared towards efficiency, with an entire row of turnstiles, plus fare card machines and a booth for a ticket agent.  The platform was completely redone with much more space for both waiting for and boarding trains, as well as better protection from the elements. All of these renovations were done by 1993, and the station was dedicated on May 10, 1993.

     But without a doubt the most unique thing about this station is the fact that it has artwork featured all throughout its walls.  Very soon after the station reopened in 1993, there was a mosaic mural installed on the exterior of the east entrance to the station which celebrates the role of women in Mexican history.  Local artist Francisco Mendoza assisted 20 youths from the Mexican Fine Arts Center's youth program in assembling the mural. Five years later, Mendoza was called upon once again to create some art, this time with assistance from Gallery 37(the city-run youth art program). Their directive this time was simple: to take any solid surface that they could find, and paint it. They painted the stairwells, the steps, the lower panels on the side walls, EVERYTHING.  What they were left with at the end of it was a tableau of art depicting the history of the community, and the contributions of Mexican roots to that community.

     Speaking of community, a little blurb on that for a second.  The 18th Street station finds itself in Chicago's Pilsen community.  Now originally, it attracted a large Bohemian contingent in the aftermath of the Chicago Fire. This is where the name Pilsen comes from, as it was the largest city in Bohemia(roughly where the Czech Republic is on today's maps) at the time. Over the years, demographics have changed, and now Pilsen is the largest Hispanic community in the city, with the 18th Station serving to always pay tribute to those roots.