Wilson station (CTA)

Wilson   4600N 1100W
Old Wilson station platform, March 2010
Location	4620 North Broadway Chicago, Illinois 60640
Coordinates	41°57′55″N 87°39′29″W / 41.965285°N 87.657965°W / 41.965285; -87.657965
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Red Line   Purple Line (AM rush only)
Platforms	1 island platform 1 auxiliary side platform
Tracks	4 (3 during reconstruction)
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
History
Opened	May 31, 1900
Rebuilt	1907 (Lower Wilson added), 1923, 2014–17 (station reconstruction)
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	1,939,936[1]  1.8%
Rank	33 out of 143[lower-alpha 1]
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station Lawrence toward Howard Red Line North Side Main Line Sheridan toward 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line Rush period special Sheridan toward Ashland/63rd Howard One-way operation Purple Line a.m. Express Sheridan toward The Loop (Clark/Lake)
Route map Purple Line Express north to Linden Red Line north to Howard Wilson Ave. Purple Line Express south to Loop Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan

Wilson is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line and Purple Line, part of the Chicago 'L' metro system and is located at 4620 North Broadway in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

History

The station in 1968

The station opened on May 31, 1900, as the northern terminus of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad.^[2] It was converted to a two level station in 1907, with a loop track to aid turning trains. Wilson became a through station in 1908 when the Northwestern Elevated Railroad was extended to Central Street in Evanston (using tracks belonging to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway).

The extended right-of-way allowed for a retail structure partially beneath the elevated tracks, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1909, known as the Stohr Arcade Building. This structure only lasted until razing in 1922.^[3] The Stohr Arcade Building included "design themes that are reminiscent of the Robie House designed three years earlier".^[4]

The current station building, known as the Gerber Building, was built in 1923, shortly after the tracks to the north were elevated. Over the years the station has been extensively reconfigured: the lower level was closed on August 1, 1949;^[5] the platforms were reconfigured in 1960; and the North Shore Line—which also used the station—ceased operation in 1963, enabling the station layout to be simplified. The CTA's 2004–2008 Capital Improvement Plan includes plans to reconstruct the station starting in 2008.

Looking southwest at the auxiliary platform, October 2007

A yard and shops were built adjacent to the station in 1901, these continued in use until the Howard Yard was expanded in 1993. The shop building was badly damaged in a fire on October 26, 1996, and the site was cleared soon after. This site remained empty for several years with plans for development in place. As of 2011, an Aldi store, a Target store, and residences now occupy this area.

Stub track

An elevated stub line from the station is a remnant of a connection into the former Buena Interchange Yard, where freight was exchanged with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway. The CTA stopped carrying freight in the early 1970s and the stub was demolished south of Montrose Avenue. The Lakewood Avenue branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway is now operated by the Soo Line Railroad, but no longer exists north of Diversey Avenue. In 2010, further demolition split the remaining stub into two sections to allow for new Truman College construction.

Wilson Station Reconstruction Project

In 2012, the CTA began planning to reconstruct the station to create a transfer point between Red and Purple Line trains (the only one since express service was discontinued in 1976).^[6] The rebuilt station will have a new station house, elevators, two island platforms to provide cross platform transfers between the two lines, and two auxiliary entrances: one at Sunnyside Avenue and one on the north side of Wilson. Demolition work for the project began in October 2014^[7] and a groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 8, 2014.^[8][9] The project is scheduled to continue through late 2017 and the station will remain open during reconstruction.

Demolition of track 1 (the westernmost track) began during the weekend of March 6, 2015. As a result, southbound Purple Line Express trains shared the same track with southbound Red Line trains and stopped at Wilson, Sheridan, and Addison in the AM rush hour only. This phase lasted for one year which ended with the activation of the new track 1 and new southbound platform.^[10]

Demolition of track 2 began on March 21, 2016. Temporary entrances opened on the same day and will remain open until completion of reconstruction. In addition, the western half of the new southbound platform was opened for southbound Red Line and AM rush hour Purple Line trains, with Purple Line trains bypassing Addison station once again. Northbound Red Line trains continued to use the old platform, and the western half of the old Red Line platform was closed.

Demolition of track 3 and the start of construction for a new northbound platform and new stationhouse began on September 26, 2016. The remaining half of the southbound platform reopened and the old platform used by Red Line trains closed. Northbound Red Line trains will stop on the eastern half of the southbound platform until the end of the project.

Demolition of Track 4 started on March 13, 2017. This phase is expected to last for approximately six months.

Demolition of Track 5 started on July 30, 2017.

Station reconstruction track diagrams

Pre-existing Purple Line Express north to Linden Red Line north to Howard Wilson Ave. Purple Line Express south to Loop Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan Phase 1 Purple Line Express north to Linden Red Line north to Howard Wilson Ave. Purple Line Express south to Loop Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan Phase 2 Purple Line Express north to Linden Red Line north to Howard Wilson Ave. Old Track 2 New Track 2 Purple Line Express south to Loop Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan Phase 3 Purple Line Express north to Linden Red Line north to Howard Wilson Ave. Old Track 3 New Track 3 Purple Line Express south to Loop Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan Phase 4 Purple Line Express north to Linden Red Line north to Howard Wilson Ave. Old Track 4 New Track 4 Purple Line Express south to Loop Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan

Facilities

The station has a large island platform serving the two tracks of the Red Line. There are also platforms on the outside tracks that once served Evanston Express trains (as well as local trains before a middle platform was created), but these are no longer used as Purple Line Express trains pass through the station during weekday rush hours without stopping. Despite not being in revenue use, the southbound auxiliary platform is kept in operational condition and is used during reroutes, charters, and other unusual operations. The southbound express track, along with the entire Track 1, has since been demolished and will be reconstructed.

Location

The station is located in the Uptown neighborhood at 4620 North Broadway in Chicago, Illinois (directional coordinates 4600 north, 1100 west). It is the closest station to Harry S Truman College.

Bus connections

CTA

• 36 Broadway
• 78 Montrose

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wilson (CTA).

• Wilson Station Page at Chicago-'L'.org
• Train schedule (PDF) at CTA official site
• Wilson Station Page CTA official site
• Broadway Avenue Primary Entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Wilson Avenue auxiliary entrance from Google Maps Street View