WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

When the Orange Line was built in 1993, the planners left an opening in the ‘L’ structure to accommodate a future extension of 51^st Street. Twenty years later, that opening is still there, still awaiting the extension of 51^st Street.

If you’re familiar with the South Side, you know that 51^st Street is a major half-section street. It carries significant traffic from the lake (where it’s called Hyde Park Boulevard) straight through to Kedzie. West of Kedzie, 51^st gradually trickles into a minor side-street until it stops at Harding, just short of the Orange Line viaduct and Pulaski Road.

A 1902 city map shows 51^st continuing to an intersection with Crawford (Pulaski). But shortly afterward the Belt Railway constructed a spur track through the area, cutting off 51^st a block short of Crawford.

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When Columbia College called on Gensler to restore a historic Michigan Avenue façade, the design team put a bird on it.

They had previously discussed Chicago’s problem with bird collisions — due to the city’s location amid many major migratory routes, Chicago’s skyline kills more birds than any other in the country — but abandoned the idea of plastering a classic Michigan Avenue address with conspicuous bird decals.

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To say that Fifty Shades of Grey has been a phenomenon is an understatement. Since debuting in 2011, the series has sold more than 70 million copies—the fastest-selling trilogy in history. During that time, its success has led to a spike in the sale of sex gear, the rate of extramarital bondage, a projected baby boom and much hand-wringing over kinky intercourse entering the mainstream.

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The south end of the Red Line is now officially closed for rebuilding. The project is supposed to take five months. Many Chicagoans are reminded of the Green Line renovation of the 1990s, when service was suspended for nearly two years.

However, if we want to talk about the biggest Chicago ‘L’ rebuild, we have to go back to the 1950s.

Sixty years ago, the Garfield Park ‘L’ was one of the city’s major transit carriers. Trains ran west from the Loop along the general line of Van Buren Street to a terminal in Forest Park. The ‘L’ tracks were also used by the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin electric interurban line.

In 1953 the city began clearing land for the new Congress (Eisenhower) Expressway. Plans called for both ‘L’ and interurban trains to operate in the median of the completed highway. In the meantime, part of the Garfield Park ‘L’ was in the way, and would have to be torn down.

The expressway project was going to take years. CTA might have shut down Garfield Park service for the duration and told riders to take the Lake Street ‘L’.

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