See 1860s Lake Front Illustrations for early illustrations of the lakefront. Illinois Central created fill at their north end to extend the river to create land for their original passenger station and freight yards. (Later, in time for the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition, IC built Central Station.) Below are the 24 images posted by David Daruszka. I then added the other images I had that are not specific to the 1860s, passenger stations, or freight yards to David's images in chronological order.
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka An old print of the original IC Station on the left, and the two elevators that dominated the landscape at the Chicago River. |
Chicagology has an 1866 photo of the Great Central Depot that is well worth a "mouse click."
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| Brad Emal posted I have this glass slide in my collection. Had it scanned at northwestern. I date it to 1858-1860 Thoughts? Michigan Ave looking North. Timothy Henning: Upon its completion in 1856, the IC was the longest railroad in the world. Its main line went from Cairo, Illinois, at the southern tip of the state, to Galena, in the northwest corner. A branch line went from Centralia (named for the railroad), to the rapidly growing city of Chicago. In Chicago, its tracks were laid along the shore of Lake Michigan and on an offshore causeway downtown. All I can say is that it's before 1870. Wish my Great grandfather was around to help with this question. Kelly Carter: I do think this it's pre-1871. The ruble from the Great Chicago Fire was pushed into Lake Michigan. The landfill created a good portion of Grant Park. Christopher N. Kaufmann: Kelly Carter You are right. The lagoon was filled, which is the 300’ wide space between the east edge of Michigan Ave and the Illinois Central trestle. However, the majority of today’s Grant Park, east of the trestle, was filled from the massive excavation of the Sanitary and Ship Canal between 1895 and 1900. The rest was from the Chicago Tunnel Project and trash. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116336377/lake-front-park-grant-park-fill-from/ [Christopher N. Kaufmann added five photos of what the mansions along Michigan Ave. looked like before the 1871 fire.] |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka A Sanborn map image of the elevators. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka One of the elevators was still there in the 1942 image. |
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| Bob Lalich commented on a post [1942 track chart] |
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| IRM Strahorn Library posted Illinois Central Railroad Chicago freight yard, late 1800s. We estimate that this photo of Chicago was taken from the mouth of the Chicago river, facing southwest, overlooking the Illinois Central Railroad freight yards. To the right is a prominent grain elevator perpendicular to the Chicago river, and the spired building in the distance to the left of the freight house we believe to be the Board of Trade building (constructed in 1887). A great deal of Lake Michigan remains to be filled in the lower left hand corner of the photo. From all of the above we would place this photo in the earlier part of the timeframe 1887 - 1893, and we welcome further comment from the Chicagologists in our audience! This V.O. Hammon postcard view is somewhat unique among the photos of the time and we certainly look forward to your input! Railway themed images from “Souvenir of Chicago in Colors” - Colorized Postcards (c. 1908) of the V.O. Hammon Publishing Company of Chicago, Illinois. ILLINOIS RAILWAY MUSEUM Strahorn Library postcard collection. The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals, and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States. The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays, and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail (strahorn@irm.org), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary). All materials are available for non-commercial purposes and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law, which permits the use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka This old print shows the elegant homes that once lined Michigan Avenue. The residents were no doubt not thrilled by the arrival of the railroad. Michael Brandt posted A cool shot of the IC Downtown in this old print that shows the elegant homes that once lined Michigan Ave. The residents were no doubt not thrilled about the arrival of the railroad. |
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| Don Andrade shared his post Chicago starts rebuilding shortly after The Great Fire. John Tkalec: Those wooden buildings are temporary and actually located on the east side of Michigan Ave in Grant Park. |
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| BRHS posted The Illinois Central's stop at 35th Street - circa 1885. |
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| David Daruszka coomented on the BRHS post The stop would be behind the photographer at 36th Street. |
If you look at the 1860s images, you will see that IC filled in their trestle along the lakefront and created Lake Park. But the lake became stagnate and unattractive. So debris from the 1871 fire was dumped into that lake. This photo shows that Lake Park was filled in and the IC tracks were significantly widened by 1886.
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Looking north from approximately 12th Street. The tents are an encampment for the troops called out during the Haymarket riots [1886]. The park ground they are camped on was created with debris from the Chicago Fire. That area was once a small lake that was created when the IC built their tracks into Chicago. Dennis DeBruler I went back and looked at your photos for the walkway between a lake dock and the Van Buren Street Station. The truss in the background appears to be part of that walkway. And we can see boats at the pier by the dock. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1270038776414622/permalink/1638946072857222/ |
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| Historic Chicago posted Chicago - Michigan Avenue at Jackson Blvd (1880s) [Lake Park has been filled in but the predecessor to the Art Institute, Interstate Exposition Building, had not yet been built.] |
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| Urban Remains posted original kaufmann and fabry panoramic photograph of chicago's grant park, looking south from the art instutute. dated 1903. courtesy of bldg. 51 archive. |
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| Richard Davis commented on the above post And in the other direction... |
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| This photo has been moved to "MWRD: Reducing Chicagolands' Great Lakes Water Usage (CRCW) at Chicago River Mouth" |
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| This photo has been moved to "MWRD: Reducing Chicagolands' Great Lakes Water Usage (CRCW) at Chicago River Mouth" |
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| This photo has been moved to "MWRD: Reducing Chicagolands' Great Lakes Water Usage (CRCW) at Chicago River Mouth" |
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| This photo has been moved to "MWRD: Reducing Chicagolands' Great Lakes Water Usage (CRCW) at Chicago River Mouth" |
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| Paul Petraitis commented on David Daruszka's post And here's a great painting of the Lakefront maybe 1892? Cover of CHICAGO HISTORY magazine. David Daruszka The illustration would have predated the construction of the Art Institute for the Columbian Expostion of 1893. The building in that image is the Interstate Exposition Building which stood on that site. |
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| Jose Ilarraza-Boyed posted Here is Grant Park circa 1892. Dennis DeBruler shared
Michael Bose: Just a point about the obviously 1892 quote posted by Mr. DeBruler. The "cars" referenced in the quote would refer to trolley or cable cars, not automobiles. In 1892 the only company offering automobiles for sale anywhere was the company that actually invented the automobile, Benz, and those were rich people's playthings. Street Cars were banned permanently from the Boulevard System, of which Michigan Ave. is a part. The cable cars did have a single southbound track on Michigan for one block only, south of Chicago Ave, for a turnaround loop. Dennis DeBruler: Michael Bose Actually, I was thinking automobiles. It struck me that the photo was old enough to show life "before cars" and traffic jams. Thanks for the comment, I learned a lot. |
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| Dave Gudewicz posted
1893 image of the Art Institute, yet to be completed. No lions until 1894. Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge from Boston were the architects. Roof signage to the north "Trocadero", a vaudeville theater.
A little know fact. Just beneath the cornice are the names of various artists, etched in stone. On the north wing Michelangelo's name is spelled wrong.
[Note the tracks and grain elevators in the background.]
Dennis DeBruler sharedNote the big wood grain elevators on the south side of the river and the Illinois Central (and partners such as Michigan Central) tracks in the background. David DaruszkaDavid and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicago Railroad Historians. Completed in time for the 1893 Columbian Exposition it housed the World Congress Auxiliary. The World’s Congress Auxiliary (WCX) of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 consisted of a series of meetings on almost every scholarly and cultural topic affecting the rapidly changing society of the 1890s. The congresses were held in the newly built Art Institute of Chicago, and ran concurrently with the Exposition from May 15 – October 28, 1893. The Auxiliary consisted of 19 departments: Woman’s Progress, Public Press, Medicine & Surgery, Temperance, Moral & Social Reform, Commerce & Finance, Music, Literature, Education, Engineering, Art, Government, Science & Philosophy, Labor, Religion, Sunday Rest, Religious Societies, Public Health, and Agriculture. Within these 19 departments, scores of the most prominent national and international leaders in the arts, sciences, business, and theology convened over 200 individual Congresses consisting of thousands of addresses, meetings and symposia. Paul Petraitis Probably from the Auditorium Tower Lawrence Smith this shows how close the lakeshore came west in those days b/4 they filled it all in to create Grant (later Millenium) Park. And, depressed the IC tracks. Dennis DeBruler The tracks weren't depressed, the streets were raised in the 1850s. Aug 2019 Update: I was indeed wrong. The tracks were depressed a few feet and the city added more fill to Lake Park to raise the level of the streets over the tracks. https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../evolution-of... Lawrence Smith Dennis DeBruler I actually looked it up - around 1900 or so the City and the IC agreed that the city would build access bridges across the IC tracks so they could fill in land E of the tracks to complete Grant Park and the IC agreed to depress the tracks. In turn IC got rights to build a new lakefront station. The fill came from various garbage dumps around the city plus fill from the then newly excavated Sanitary Ship Canal. We all know that ultimately the IC yards became parking lots and then covered by Millennium Park. (See Liquid Capital, - 2018 - a new book re the development of the Chicago river and lakefront. Lot of history of the IC and its lakefront access and related history.) Dennis DeBrulerYou and 1 other manage the membership, moderators, settings, and posts for Chicago Railroad Historians. Lawrence Smith Thanks for the update. They must have built some sort of concrete "tub" after they excavated to keep the river water off the tracks if the tracks are now below river level. And I thought I had problems keeping water out of my basement. That also answers the question of when Grant Park was enlarged and confirms that it used the spoil piles from the Sanitary & Ship Canal that was dug between 1893-1899. It would be easy to barge and dump the canal spoils since they were right next to the canal. Lawrence Smith Dennis DeBruler the book mentions that over time in the 1800s and into the 20th century the Army Corps of Engineers made many improvements to the River including sealing the banks with piles and concrete. That probably kept the river from heading south under Randolph St into the yards. Lawrence Smith while not specifically train related - the area between Mich Ave and the tracks was filled in after the Chicago Fire of 1871 using debris from the fire. The Lake shore actually ran w as far as Mich Ave. b/4 then. Historic Chicago posted a print whose exposure favors the foreground instead of the background. The above photo was cropped from this one Historic Chicago posted Juan Morales shared Raymond Kunst posted 1893 image of the Art Institute, yet to be completed. No lions until 1894. Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge from Boston were the architects. Roof signage to the north "Trocadero", a vaudeville theater. A little know fact. Just beneath the cornice are the names of various artists, etched in stone. On the north wing Michelangelo's name is spelled wrong. Raymond Kunst shared |
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| Timothy Henning commented on Raymond's share Barely visible is the soon to be closed Illinois Central Depot at the lake st. and the river. [Central Station opened in 1893 to serve the Columbian Exposition.] |
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| Kelly Phia posted Hello. I wanted to introduce myself and share a singular, really rare photo, that's one of my favorites. The Art Institute of Chicago's current building at 111 S. Michigan Ave. was under construction from 1893 to 1916. The building was originally built in 1893 as the World's Congress Auxiliary Building for the World's Columbian Exposition. The building is part of the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. My research suggests the building is nearing completion and is likely a photo taken in 1915. To my knowledge this is the ONLY photograph of the art institute UNDER CONSTRUCTION. You can see the train yards right behind the building, and the lake right behind that. That area is all been filled in with debris from the Chicago Fire. Joe Hernandez shared |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka A panoramic view of the lakefront looking south west. The tall spired building in the center is the Montgomery Ward headquarters. The other tall building to the right is the Masonic Temple office building. Viewing this scene from his offices Ward took it upon himself to lead a personal crusade against the ongoing desecration of the lakefront. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka This view looking south. The domed building in the center right is the Interstate Exposition Building, and the eventual location of the Art Institute. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka The Art Institute is the low building and the left and the tall building to the right is the Montgomery Ward office building. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka An illustration from a map book by Rand McNally shows the collection of freight terminals that covered the north end of the IC property. Dennis DeBruler The river still has swing bridges, but the boats are steamers instead of schooners. Dennis DeBruler It looks like the McCormick Reaper plant has already moved away from the north shore. Paul Jevert I worked those North end Pier job switch engines out of Monroe Street Yard Office and So.Water Street Freight House yard engines ! |
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Paul Petraitis shared
1896 moving the tracks below street level in the Loop.
Dennis DeBruler An interesting perspective on the two grain elevators. It helps place where they were along the Chicago River. Note the ferry at the Van Buren Station dock.Michael Brandt posted Moving the IC tracks below street level in the loop, from 1896. |
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| Paul commented on his post Hopefully this article from The Railroad Gazette in 1896 will clarify. My above statement wasn't completely accurate. For the most part, the land on either side of the IC ROW between Monroe and 11th Pl, aka Lake Park Place, was built up as a result of the 1895 agreement with the City. The IC tracks were only lowered a few feet. |
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| Ron Tamulis posted Lakefront improvements in 1896. This photo taken from Harrison Street shows the new Van Buren street viaduct allowing access to the lakefront over the Illinois Central tracks. Photographer is a bit west of where Columbus drive is now. Credit: Chicago History Museum, ICHi-34661; Illinois Central Railroad Company, photographer. Dawn Cianci shared Dennis DeBruler shared The IC kept adding land and tracks. |
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| BDBRCPC posted Michigan Avenue in Chicago, 1898 Raymond Kunst shared Bobby Cassell: I see the statue in the park so those mansions across the street were replace by the congress hotel ? Rafsan Khan posted Michigan Avenue in Chicago, 1898 Deanna Stark: to some degree Great Fire debris filled it in, and the really big fill project began when they started the freight tunnels "forty feet under"! They had a transfer railroad coming out of the tunnels probably around Harrison, and a gigantic loofing crane to pick up the skip hoppers and dump them. The Field Museum was built over this fill, and possibly Soldier Field as well!! After the tunnels were dug, a lot of the clinker ash from the skyscrapers' coal heating systems was hauled there and landfilled.......one reason the elms in Grant Park never reached a normally huge size was the poor quality of the ground in the Grant Park fill areas! |
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| Richard Davis commented on the above post Similar shot. |
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| BDBRCPC posted Kristopher Isaac Barrington posted Richard R. Anderson: Here’s a link to this photo at the Library of Congress. It is dated 1900 to 1901. Tower definitely is the Wards HQ. Download the highest resolution version; it’s great! https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016800769/ |
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| Raymond Kunst posted Michigan Avenue - Grant Park circa 1911 Raymond Kunst shared |
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| Al Krasuskas posted View of the early lakefront, before Lake Shore Drive was built. View is looking north from the upper floors of the Illinois Central Railroad Depot Station tower that once stood at East Park Row (East 11 Place). At top, left in photo, one can see the Montgomery Ward's tower and building and the Art Institute building. Note where the Lake Michigan shoreline was at one time! Photo circa early 1900s |
A different exposure. It looks like both of IC's grain elevators are cranking out some smoke.
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| Michael Brandt posted A great shot looking North from the upper floors of the IC Central building which was demolished in 1972, picture taken before Lake Shore Drive was built. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Al's post As this photo of Lincoln's funeral train shows, the IC first built over Lake Michigan. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Al's post IC then added fill to replace the trestle with an embankment. This created a small lake along Michigan. But the water was stagnate and became a problem. So they started filling it in. This is where the 1871 fire debris went. Around 1900, after the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was dug, is when they started filling east of the tracks and built Grant Park. Other construction projects contributed to that fill. Paul Petraitis commented on his post: |
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| Tomas Manz posted
Interesting early view of IC lakefront tracks looking south in August 1898. This was posted in the Historic Madison (WI) Photo Group along with a group of C&NW images from Madison.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/159700503902/
Dennis DeBruler To make Grant Park, some people claim the IC tracks were lowered and others claim the streets were raised. It turns out that both are correct. The tracks were lowered a few feet. And an embankment wall and more fill was added to Lake Park to raise the streets. IC was also required to build bridges over their tracks for the streets that would go into Grant Park. |
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Philip Wizenick posted
I.C. Freight yard at the Chicago river and lakefront. The Municipal (Navy) Pier hasn't been built yet so that dates the photo prior to WW I.
Jay Nawrocki Where that boat is, is where Lake Shore Drive crosses the river now. That yard was there not too long age. I remember looking down into that yard from Wacker Drive when I was a kid. All covers up by buildings now.
[From another posting, "the elevated road is Randolph Street." This was also early 1900s because Grant Park is still being filled.] |
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| David Daruszka commented on Philip's posting Sometime between 1902-09 when the landfill was undertaken to create Grant Park. [The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was opened in 1900. When they dug the canal, they piled the spoils along the side of the canal. Getting rid of those spoil piles was one of the sources of fill to build Grant Park. The sanitary district went on to dig the North Shore Channel, which probably provided more fill. Also, the Chicago Tunnel Company built its 2' gauge underground tunnel system during the first decade of the 20th Century. And many basements for building in the loop were dub and coal ash needed to be dumped somewhere.] |
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| David Daruszka commented on Philip's posting They used ash from the various boilers of buildings in the Loop as well as a lot of other debris for landfill. It was delivered by the freight tunnel trains and probably by horse cart as well. I see a temporary roadway north of the Art Institute that connects to the structure over a bridge. |
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| David Daruszka commented on Philip's posting About the same location as the right side of the posted image. Two dredges are at work. |
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| Thomas Manz posted Library of Congress panorama showing Grant Park in development |
Paul Petraitis added two photos to Thomas' posting:
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka Looking north east shows the two elevators marking the Chicago River. To the left the the small white building with windows was the original headquarters of the CB&Q Railroad. Dennis DeBruler What is CB&Q doing in IC territory? I learned just today that CB&Q had offices over where their tracks curved from heading east to heading north. http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../cb-support... Dennis DeBruler Was IC so important back then that CB&Q felt they had to have their offices close to the movers and shakers? Then later they thought they were important enough that they could have their offices near their own operations. Bob Lalich CB&Q used IC's station for a period of time, before Union Depot was built. CB&Q was a 25% owner of the St Charles Air Line, which provided access to IC's lakefront facilities. |
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One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka
Post card image of some of the freight houses.
Dennis DeBruler This one was 1910s because the first Mongomery Ward headquarters was finished in 1899 and we don't see any trucks, just horse&wagons. http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../montgomery-ward... |
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| Historic Chicago posted Tim Leutwiler: They broke ground on Soldier Field in August of 1922. Ray Graumlich: George Barrera The museum opened at this site in 1921. Historic Chicago posted Thomas L. Batch: Mark Rogers I'm going to guess 1924 since the stadium first opened in 1925. ["The stadium was dedicated as Municipal Grant Park Stadium on October 9, 1924 and was renamed Soldier Field on November 11, 1925 in memory of soldiers who died in World War I." [wgntv, also isfauthority] |
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| Mariana Nicasio posted A 1928 view of Michigan Avenue and Grant Park, looking north. chicagotribune.com Paul Jevert shared |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka In the vicinity of Randolph Street. The tracks on the left descend to the IC suburban station. To the right of those is the upper level South Shore platforms. Note the diesel box cab switcher on the right. |
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| Lawrence Shoop posted Grant Park parking lot in 1934 [A comment speculates that the parking may have been for the 1933-34 Century of Progress World's Fair.] Vanished Chicago posted Chicago, parking lot Grant Park 1934 Benny Blanco: This was a car show if I remember correctly. Back then friends would get together and show off their new wheels and their ladies if they had one.. Just a simple time back then.. |
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| Lloyd Higley posted Manolo Manotas posted Paul Webb shared |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka At one time Randolph Street ran all the way to Lake Shore Drive, but was cut back when the drive was reconfigured to eliminate the notorious "S" curve. Dennis DeBruler  Montgomery Wards's building is beginning to look kinda small. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka South Shore MU cars and a sea of boxcars. Note the wooden walkways on top of the boxcars. Rod Truszkowski I remember them walkways and high brake stands. Dennis DeBruler FYI, I got rather emphatically criticized for calling them "walkways." I was told they are "running boards."Rod Truszkowski Yes they were you could car to car |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka Inbound refrigerator cars at the Congress Street Yard. The IC ran a number of produce express trains depending on the season. Dennis DeBruler It is getting a lot harder finding the Montgomery Ward building. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka The end is nearing for the handling of freight on the lakefront. Some of the area was converted to surface parking for automobiles. The IC would store fright cars in the area for year to maintain their claim to the land they had be given when they first built their track into downtown at the behest of the city. The city fought with the railroad for years to reclaim the land. Dennis DeBruler Sounds like today's Goose Island battle. There is certainly no horse&wagons at the freight house.Dennis DeBruler I see tower cranes have been invented. |
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| David Daruszka postedOne of 24 images posted by David DaruszkaImages taken by photographer Jack Delano. Delano documented a number of Chicago railroads during the Second World War. Pabst was one of many advertisers who used sign over the years. Dennis DeBruler It appears coal soot has turned the building on the left black. Joseph Tuch Santucci David Daruszka if I recall it has gold in the trim at the top too. Dennis DeBruler I went back and looked at some historic pictures of the skyscrapers around the Michigan Ave. Bridge. It doesn't appear as black as it does in this picture. I guess color photos render black more accurately than B&W photos do. It does have gold trimming on the top: https://www.google.com/.../@41.8855808,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3 |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka Another Delano image. The decrepit structure is probably an old icing facility for refrigerated cars. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka Jack Delano again. The Wrigley Building is in the center and The Chicago Tribune Tower is the tall building to the left of the Chessie freight house. Dennis DeBruler NKP and C&O is a surprise. The NKP came to town on NYC LS&MS tracks (La Salle Station area). The C&O came to town on the C&WI (Dearborn Station area). Bob Lalich C&O of Indiana predecessor Chicago Cincinnati & Louisville originally used the IC from a location in Riverdale called Highlawn, to reach downtown Chicago. Joseph Tuch Santucci They ran over the IHB? Never heard that before. Bob Lalich Both NKP and C&O used a connection at the north end of Fordham Yard to access the IC. C&O used NKP's Chicago terminal facilities for some time. They were both under Van Sweringen control for many years. Bill Edrington Bob Lalich - Thanks for this info. Good stuff. I know very little about the CC&L/C&O of Indiana, and this fills in some gaps. |
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| Bob Lalich replied to Joseph's comment above It was only for a short period of time, but IHB and predecessor Chicago Hammond & Western were used from a location in Burnham called Louisville Jct to Highlawn. This original route was out of service by 1915. |
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| David M Laz posted Look Ma, no trees! Baby Grant Park in 1929 Sharon Avendano shared Karen De Pirro  Do I see Gunsaulus Hall attached to the Art Institute? Ending at.....nothing? |
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| Historic Chicago posted Aerial view over the river at Michigan Avenue. (1950) Rob Sperka: Incredible difference. I’m questioning the 1950 date, though |
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| William Shapotkin posted How many remember the "streetcar bridge" over the IC trks at Central Station in Chicago? Built for access to the World's Fair in 1933-34, it survived into the early 1950s. Here we see a W/B car, working CTA Rt #12 -- ROOSEVELT, x/o the IC. BTW -- are those not NYC cars (perhaps off a Michigan Central train from Detroit (?)) visible at left? View looks south. Wm Shapotkin Collection. John Mann At the entrance there were two stained glass windows one for IC and one for the Michigan Central. In the 1850s the IC, MC and CB&Q shared a station that burned in the Chicago Fire. The Q went it's own way after the fire. There are before and after shots in Overton's history of the Q. |
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Mike Breski postedLooking north from Grant Park, 1948, Chicago. Andreas Feininger
Seems like a totally different place when railroads dominated the lakefront in downtown Chicago |
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| Mike Breski posted ANDREAS FEININGER, 1941 [I think this is a different photo of the same scene as above. The usage rights make me nervous, so I thumbnailed it.] |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka This image shows the area prior to the construction of the extension Lake Shore Drive. Dennis DeBruler Still has a grain elevator and no Prudential building. |
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| Historic Chicago posted [The Lake Shore Drive Drawbridge and S-Curve were opened in 1937.] |
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| Noach hoffman posted Honoring the River: Chicago River by Austrian artist, Emma Bormann. Color woodcut. 1937 Collection of the Art Institute. |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka The peristyle was a prominent feature of Grant Park. It was eventually demolished and later rebuilt decades later. |
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| Bill Molony posted Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Baldwin VO-1000 end-cab diesel switch engine #9358 and caboose #14837 at the Illinois Central's Roosevelt Road station in Chicago on June 9, 1946. [It probably dropped of a cut of interchange traffic and will now run light back over the St. Charles Air Line to Cicero Yard.] |
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| Jim Arvites posted An early 1950's view looking south of the Illinois Central Railroad freight yard in downtown Chicago taken from the Chicago Tribune Tower. Patrick McNamara The photo I posted is dated 1952. Matthew Chapman I saw info from somewhere saying the Prude was finished in 1955. Need to check that. Patrick McNamara It was. The initial photo was probably taken from the 333 N. Michigan Avenue Building. [The Pabst sign was on Randolph.] |
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka While there is still an active freight presence in this photo, the new business of parking cars has consumed some of the land. [Judging by the buildings along Michigan Avenue, the cross street in the foreground is Randolph Street. So the Prudential Building has yet to be built.] Barry Lohaman posted Before Millennium Park Alan Follett: Pre-Prudential Building (completed 1955). Likely after the 1937 opening of the bridge and S-curve viaduct, though the bridge itself is out of frame. Paul Webb shared |
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| Nancy Kalchbrenner commented on Barry's post Transitions were impressive. |
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| Mike Breski posted Illinois Central train yard with view of Prudential building c. 1956. Current site of Millennium Park. Chicago Chicago History 1956 Millennium Park Grant Park Prudential building Jewelers Building Mark Fuller: How much of that is left under Millennium Park? If the tracks were pulled up, is it paved for trucks?Chuck Earley: Mark Fuller that freight area is now a shared RofW for Metra and the City of Chicago who reclaimed the property. There is a small portion of storage tracks east of the Van Buren platform for Metra and CSS&SB trains. The bus way which it is referred to runs from Randolph St on the east side of the tracks to 9th st where it tunnels under and continue on the west side down to the end of McCormick Pl Dawn Cianci shared Chuck Earley: At the north end of this freight yard the cold produce terminal had concrete platforms where potatoes, bananas and other items were unloaded for Chicago land |
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| Bill Archer commented on Dawn's share Illinois Central Yards, late 30's or early 40's |
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One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka
The 18th Street MU shop, with Soldier Field in the right and the Field Museum above it. All the land to the east of the tracks was created by landfill. This was NOT made with landfill from the Chicago fire. Much of the fill came from various construction projects including the new Union station and the straightening of the Chicago River. The Chicago Freight Tunnel ran to the lakefront as well, so the fill included debris from the various coal fired boilers in downtown office buildings.
Dennis DeBruler MU means Multiple Unit? So this would be the electrified cars or suburban service yard?
David Daruszka Yes. The shops were built when the line was electrified. Daily maintenance and inspections are still performed there. Heavy servicing was done at Burnside and later Woodcrest at Harvey yards. Metra built a new facility at KYD (Kensington YarD) at the junction of the Blue Island line.
Dennis DeBruler So much information in a couple of sentences. Burnside Yard: http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../ics-burnside...
Dennis DeBruler The official name for Harvey is Markham Yard. It still contains Woodcrest, but, as we would expect, it has been converted from steam to diesel. CN was going to move engine servicing to Kirk along with all classification operations. But I read they decided to keep Woodcrest. http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/.../ics-markham...
Dennis DeBruler I could not find a shop building or yard at the junction: https://www.google.com/.../@41.6751708,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3CORRECTION: https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4...
David Daruszka Its not like its small or anything. [Includes a photo of the shop that is in https://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2018/01/metra-kensington-yard-ktd-and-ic.html]
Dennis DeBruler Looking at a 1938 aerial, this used part of the abandoned IC Wildwood Yard. [Includes the aerial photo.]
David Daruszka Wildwood serviced the Ford plant on Torrence. It is now used by the Water Reclamation District for sludge drying ponds.
Bob Lalich Very interesting photo David! Note the small roundhouse near the St Charles Air Line approach, which belonged to the Michigan Central. According to the historic aerials site, the roundhouse was gone by 1962, so the time frame of the photo is between 1955 and 1962.
Joseph Tuch Santucci Actually there is debris from the fire there. They were building the new lunchroom across the tracks from the shed while I was still there. They dug up burnt antiques from the fire. The ex wife’s cousin snagged a few pieces. He told ok then to somebody for evaluation and was told it was from that time period and concluded it was from the fire.
David Daruszka I'm talking about Grant Park proper. The IC added a lot of land south of Roosevelt and I imagine they used fire debris. This from almighty Wiki: "The city officially designated the land as a park on April 29, 1844, naming it Lake Park. When the Illinois Central Railroad was built into Chicago in 1852, it was permitted to lay track along the lakefront on a causeway built offshore from the park. The resulting lagoon became stagnant, and was largely filled in 1871 with debris from the Great Chicago Fire, increasing the parkland."
Dennis DeBruler Note the 42-story Prudential Building in the background. Prudential and IC lawyers refined the concept of air rights. The notion of buying or leasing air rights made possible many of the buildings we see along the north shore of the Main Stem and the west shore of the South Branch. And some buildings that we no longer see such as the Sun-Times Building. http://www.connectingthewindycity.com/.../prudential... [I learned later that this was not the first air-rights building in Chicago. But now I can't remember which building was the first.]
Joseph Tuch Santucci I recall going up to the observation deck at the top several times as a kid. Tho get it was the coolest place in the world, the world we were sitting on top off.
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| Patrick McNamara commented on a post, at Facebook resolution MP 0-2 as of 1970. |
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| Sunny Dhillon posted
Chicago Downtown
My favorite building in the horizon ... Carbide and Carbon Building
Randy James The panama limited Tom Biscan Pride of the Main Line of Mid-America! Mike Breski Hilton, Blackstone and the Torco Building going north from the Essex. |
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| Gene Schuldt posted Paul Webb shared [Below we see the Predential Building. This photo would be from the top of that building.] Randall James: IC's Congress yard |
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| Tim Allen posted
1960s era photo showing the Illinois Central Railroad rail yard bordered by Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.
The IC sold its first parcel, along with the air rights over it, in 1951 to the Prudential Insurance Co., which built a 41-story office on the land on Randolph Street a block east of Michigan Avenue.
The west half of the rail yards were built out first; the east half was turned into a temporary golf course on the lowest level, where the rail yards had been.
Among the developments of that land was One Illinois Center, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1970.
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| One of 24 images posted by David Daruszka Nary a hint of railroading exists today. The player with railroads is now the player of concerts and special events. The new band shell dominates the picture, with the Cloud Gate "bean" to its right. |
Panorama video of Chicago lakefront
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