Day 177: The Neighborhood Station

     While the earliest elevated lines in Chicago opened up in time for the Columbian Exposition(such as Roosevelt), some of the other lines didn't open up until the latter part of the next decade.  Such was the case with the Northwestern Elevated, which inaugurated its service aboard the Ravenswood Branch on May 18, 1907.  One of the stations to originally open with the rest of line was located right over Irving Park road, a major thoroughfare on the North side of the city.

     When it was first erected, the station was befitted with a head house measuring 25 square feet, which was meant to symbolize the modesty of being placed in the middle of a neighborhood.  The way that the exit was designed was based off of prior experiences with crowding in that this exit allowed for more streamlined passenger egress than before.  The interior construction of the station also emulated the modest, down home feel of the neighborhood with its subdued design.  The walls were coated in basic brick and were paved in the same manner as well.  There was originally a ticket agent booth, but that was removed in the 1990s when the transition was made to electronic fare media.  Once riders got up to the platforms, they were faced with decorative grille work, canopies, and roof arches that served to illuminate the charms of the station. One other key element of the platforms was the presence of a dividing gate down the middle of the platform that served to separate the northbound from the southbound boarding areas.  Later on, there was an area added to the unpaid portion of the station that included a concession stand.

     By the beginning of the 21st Century, the Brown Line faced ballooning ridership figures which led to overcrowding at stations and on trains, owing to the fact that almost all of the Brown Line stations(including Irving Park) could only accommodate six-car trains, which hampered the ability for longer trains to use the platforms.  In order to fix this problem, the CTA embarked on an ambitious project to extend the platforms of all Brown Line stations to fit 8-car trains, as well as renovating several stations to bring them up to code.  This project included demolishing the original 1907 station house and replacing it with a new 74 by 50 foot model.  Additionally, the elevator shafts and stairways are prominent parts of the station's architecture, which is a unique feature, as many other stations have the stairways tucked away within the interior structure.  The station itself is located to the south of the Ravenswood community, and features many small shops, restaurants, and bars within the immediate vicinity of the station.