North Chicago Street Railway Company Cable Cars

Glen Miller posted

Glen's comment:

A section of railway and cable conduit being installed by the North Chicago Street Railway Company in the 1880's.
North Chicago Street Railway Company started with horse trolleys in 1858 but horses were slow so they upgraded to cable cars. They built the LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse which is a rare surviving artifact of Chicago's cable car system along with the tracks which become unearthed during street repairs. At its peak in the 1890s, Chicago had the largest system in the country, operating thousands of cable cars over 82 miles of track.
The powerhouse had engines that moved two miles of cable through these cable conduits. Those cables, in turn, pulled thousands of cable cars. Cable cars operated in Chicago until 1906.
The LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse was designated a Chicago Landmark on June 27, 2001. It is better known today as Michael Jordon's old restaurant but famous Chicago pizzeria, Gino's East is now a tenant.

 Glen Miller 500 N. LaSalle is the address of the powerhouse.