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Satellite)
BoB = Bridge on Bridge so that later I can find these more easily.
I normally don't pay attention to "L" stations because there are so many of them in Chicago. But there is so much history in these photos, I had to dig deeper. Not only did the interstate highways kill most carload traffic for the railroads, the Dan Ryan accelerated the disinvestment of the south side. The housing projects that have since been torn down were apart of this "urban renewal" effort.
William Shapotkin
posted three photos with the comment:
Before, During and After. We are on the platform of the (now closed) station at 59th/Wentworth on the ENGLEWOOD 'L' (now part of what CTA calls the "GREEN LINE") looking west. This is what the world looked like before, during and after construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway. Aside from the 'L' structure, the only other constant is the spire of (what is today known as) the Chicago Embassy Church -- located N/W corner of 59h and Princeton (at right).
All views look west off the west end of the N/B platform of the station and all taken by the late William C Hoffman.
[Photo specific comments have been moved to caption the appropriate photos.]
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1
A /B trn of 4000-series cars approaching the station. At the time there was a neighborhood below the 'L," with the usual assortment of houses, garages and back yards. September 28, 1952. wch 623 |
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2
"Urban Removal" has taken place and excavation for the expressway has begun. November 24, 1961. wch 626
Richard L. White: This is one of the elevated trains that I operated in the 1979’s. That is the Dan Ryan expressway to the left below and Saint Martin Church to the right. I’m headed into 59th and Wentworth Station.
[St. Martin de Porres was the name for the Chicago Embassy Church when it was still owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. But the Chicago Embassy Church has been foreclosed so the future of this historic building is now uncertain. [PreservationChicago]] |
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3
Although "not quite ready for prime time," construction of the expressway is well underway and the present-day supports for the 'L' structure over the expressway are in-place. September 14, 1962. By-the-way, construction of the DAN RYAN 'L' (today's "RED LINE"), located in median of the expressway, would not begin for a number of years yet. That line would not open for service for another seven years hence, on September 28, 1969. wch 627 |
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Secret Chicago posted
Chicago sunsets |
When I first looked at this view, it struck me that the brown bridge was a bridge to nowhere. Then I realized that it is a bridge holding a bridge. It is the green beams we see in the third photo. I can't believe how little traffic is on the interstate. When I used to drive this in the late 1960s, it was never this empty during daylight. I checked the date of capture. It was Jul 2019, so this traffic is not impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Steven J. Brown posted
CTA 4000 Series 4271 and 4272 (built 1923), part of the preserved historic fleet, are on a charter for WTTW (PBS) crossing the Dan Ryan Expressway on the Englewood Line in Chicago, Illinois - October 5, 2025.
Ken Mills: Dan Ryan Expressway and 59 Street where the current Green Line elevated line (then known as EH Branch, while the other was JH Branch to/from Stony Island Avenue-Jackson Park where both routes also traveled underground in Downtown Chicago and resurfacing again for Howard Street) crosses to reach into Englewood; the current Red Line subway line (then known as LD, and all elevated at the time running along the side of The Loop) runs inside the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway complete with its own tunnel just after Cermak Road/Chinatown. . .routes were swapped and colorized afterwards with new pending lines i.e. Orange Line to come enroute to/from Midway Airport. |
I fired up the time machine of old aerial photos to look for the station. I added a yellow rectangle to highlight what I believe was a waiting room for the inbound passengers. (Outbound passengers don't need a waiting room because they just leave to go home.)
When I saw it was just west of Wentworth, I tried a street view from that street. That is when I noticed that the "foundation" for the waiting room is still attached to the original structure. I also noticed the strange construction of the piers for the new support structure. When I had another look at Photo 2, I realized these piers are pilings that were driven into the ground before the excavation was done. After the dirt was removed, they added diagonal members to the piles to turn them into piers. Photo 2 also gives perspective on how much dirt had to be excavated to build I-90+94. No doubt, the building of the interstates in the 1960s accelerated the development and/or growth of excavators, haul trucks, dozers, scrappers, ready-mix trucks, etc.
Since there is still a light with a sign on the platform structure, I presume this photo was taken while the station was still open.
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Michael Brandt posted
Classic CTA, over the Dan Ryan. |
A photo that is old enough to have the station.
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5:41 video @ 4:03
The station was shuttered in 1992. |
