Sox–35th station

Sox-35th
 
3500S
200W
Location 142 West 35th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60616
Coordinates 41°49′52″N 87°37′50″W / 41.831191°N 87.630636°W / 41.831191; -87.630636
Owned by Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)
  Red Line
Platforms 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Connections

CTA & Pace buses

  Rock Island District

at Jones/Bronzeville

Construction
Structure type Surface Level
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened September 28, 1969
Rebuilt 2000 (elevator added), 2002–03 (station house renovation), 2005–06 (station renovation), 2013 (refurbished)
Previous names 35-Sox Park (Station Sign)
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 1,712,730[1] Increase 4% (CTA)
Rank 39 out of 143[lower-alpha 1]
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station
toward Howard
Red Line
Metra
toward Joliet
Rock Island District
Transfer at: Jones/Bronzeville
Terminus
Route map
Red Line
north to Howard
33rd St.
35th St.
Red Line
south to 95th/Dan Ryan

Sox–35th is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in Chicago, Illinois, and serving the Red Line. It is situated at 142 W 35th Street in the Armour Square neighborhood. The station opened on September 28, 1969 along with the other stations on the Dan Ryan branch.

Currently, the station serves Guaranteed Rate Field, the stadium of the Chicago White Sox, and takes its name from this location, originally serving the now-demolished Comiskey Park (which was also known as "Sox Park" from 1962 until 1976, during the time of construction for Sox–35th), which had been located across the street from the current park. It is also close to the Illinois Institute of Technology, as well as Shimer College and VanderCook College of Music, though the Green Line's 35th–Bronzeville–IIT is closer to some parts of that campus.

On April 3, 2011, a new station opened on the adjacent Metra Rock Island Line at 35th/Lou Jones/Bronzeville.

History

Structure

Sox–35th station is located in the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway. The main entrance to the station is on the 35th Street overpass; that entrance is handicapped accessible by an elevator. An auxiliary entrance is located on the 33rd Street overpass, and this entrance connects to the station via a pedestrian bridge. At both entrances, a fare turnstile is located at street level and passengers must take stairs, an escalator, or the elevator to the platform. The platform is an island platform; northbound trains stop on the east side, and southbound trains stop on the west side.

Construction

Sox–35th under construction in 1968.

A rapid transit line in the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway was initially proposed in 1958, before the expressway was built.[2] In 1966, Chicago voters passed a bond issue to provide $28 million in funding for new rail lines in the median of the Dan Ryan and Kennedy Expressways, qualifying the routes for federal aid funds.[3][4] The Chicago Plan commission approved plans for the new routes in January 1967, estimating the cost of the Dan Ryan line to be $38 million; Sox–35th, called White Sox–Illinois Tech at the time, was included in the plans.[4] Federal funding for the lines was approved in March 1967. Mayor Richard J. Daley subsequently stated that construction would begin immediately and projected the lines would open by the beginning of 1969, though engineers expected an opening date in late 1969 or early 1970.[5] Sox–35th and the other Dan Ryan stations opened on September 28, 1969. The final cost of the line was $38 million; the Chicago Tribune noted that it was constructed "in virtually record time".[6] Three days before the line opened, the CTA ran free trains on the route between Sox–35th and 95th/Dan Ryan.[7] The new route led to the Loop in the north and continued west along the Lake Street Elevated; trains did not follow the current alignment of the Red Line north of Sox-35th until 1993.[6][8]

1979 closure

On January 29, 1979, the CTA closed 14 stations during rush-hour service, including Sox-35th, due to equipment shortages caused by the Chicago Blizzard of 1979. After an outcry from riders and several African-American politicians, Sox-35th and three other stations reopened the following day.[9] The remaining stations reopened later in the week after the Urban Mass Transportation Administration warned the CTA that the closings may have been a civil rights violation.[10][11] The Chicago Tribune considered the closings to be a factor in Mayor Michael Bilandic's loss to Jane Byrne in the 1979 Democratic mayoral primary, noting Byrne's large margin of victory in predominantly black wards affected by the closings.[12]

Rehabilitation project

Chicago White Sox logo in the station floor

In 2002, the CTA announced that it would rehabilitate Sox-35th and seven other stations on the Dan Ryan branch.[13] During the renovations, the escalators at Sox-35th were replaced, its lighting and flooring were upgraded, and a granite tile White Sox logo was added to the floor.[13][14] In addition, workers improved the 35th Street bridge adjacent to the station, replacing its sidewalks and canopies. The renovations to Sox-35th cost over $13 million and concluded in time for the 2003 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at U.S. Cellular Field.[14]

2013 closure

The station closed on May 19, 2013 as part of the Red Line South Reconstruction project and reopened on October 20, 2013.

Bus/Train connections

CTA

Metra

Pace

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ Due to possible double-counting of physically-connected stations, the CTA's official 2015 tally of stations was 146, but for ridership purposes reported having only 143 stations.

References

  1. ↑ "Annual Ridership Report – 2015" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 13, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Proposed $315,000,000 Twenty-Year Transit Expansion and Improvement Program". Chicago Transit Authority. July 30, 1958. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  3. ↑ Buck, Thomas (April 19, 1966). "New Rail Rapid Transit Lines Included". Chicago Tribune.
  4. 1 2 Buck, Thomas (January 25, 1967). "Plan Commission OK's Rail Routes in 2 Thruways". Chicago Tribune.
  5. ↑ Schreiber, Edward (March 15, 1967). "45.9 Million to Be Used on 2 New Lines". Chicago Tribune.
  6. 1 2 Buck, Thomas (September 28, 1969). "Ryan Rail Service Starts Today". Chicago Tribune.
  7. ↑ Buck, Thomas (September 25, 1969). "New 'L' Route to Open With a Free Ride". Chicago Tribune.
  8. ↑ Kiernan, Louise; Jerry Thornton (February 22, 1993). "Train Crash Mars Debut of Howard-Ryan Line". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ↑ "CTA Reopens 4 Lake-Ryan 'L' Stations". Chicago Tribune. January 31, 1979.
  10. ↑ Young, David; Casey Banas (February 1, 1979). "'L' Closings May Violate Civil Rights". Chicago Tribune.
  11. ↑ "Ryan, Lake 'L's Restored; Other Lines Suffer Delays". Chicago Tribune. February 3, 1979.
  12. ↑ Ciccone, F. Richard (February 28, 1979). "Bilandic Attitude, Gaffe Hurt Him Badly". Chicago Tribune.
  13. 1 2 Herguth, Robert C. (January 15, 2002). "Red Line to get major rehab - $238 million project should speed up trains". Chicago Sun-Times.
  14. 1 2 Hagen, Mindy (July 15, 2003). "CTA, State Polish Sox Park Stop; Renovations Unveiled on Eve of All-Star Game". Chicago Tribune.
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