Quincy Elevated Station

“Elevated railways and their stations, like Quincy Elevated Station, were innovations in urban planning and public transportation adopted by Chicago in the late nineteenth century to relieve street congestion and improve mobility.”

“Hedley immigrated with his family to New York City around 1880. The Hedley family had a long transportation tradition, with William Hedley, grandfather of Alfred, inventing one of the first steam locomotives in England; before immigrating to the U.S., his father James was the general superintendent of the Great Northern Railroad in England; and his nephew Sidney H. Bingham served as executive director of the New York Transit Authority.”

“Waddell wrote seminal texts on iron and steel bridge design and he was influential in improving professional education for engineers in the United States. Throughout his career, Waddell designed thousands of structures throughout the world, many of which many remain in use today.”

“The Met commenced service on May 6, 1895 and was the first transit line to utilize electric traction technology from its inception. These early elevated railroads each operated separate downtown terminals that were rather far from the city's center.”

“Its encircling perimeter so clearly defines the central business district that it gave downtown Chicago its famous nickname, the Loop. In addition to easing access to downtown stores, jobs and services, the elevated lines that radiate from the Loop Elevated helped make possible the rapid development of the city's outlying neighborhoods during one of the greatest boom periods in the history of Chicago.”

“Each franchise had unique requirements including station locations, fares, and deadlines for when routes and/or lines had to be completed. Chicago's earliest transit companies used the horse-bus or omnibus, an enclosed four-wheeled coach carrying up to 30 people and pulled by a team of two horses, to move passengers primarily between downtown's hotels and railroad stations.”

“The Quincy Elevated Station has retained its original location and use since 1897. Similarly, its immediate setting along the Loop Elevated has remained consistent over the decades. Necessary upgrades to maintain the property in a state of good repair and meet contemporary standards have prioritized the preservation of existing materials, compatible repair, and in-kind replacement, when required, using original architectural drawings as reference.”

“The exteriors are clad in sheet metal decorated with Classical ornament including window surrounds, fluted Corinthian pilasters, and a frieze ornamented by acanthus leaf wreaths. Each station house is topped with a sheet-metal-clad hipped roof with scrolled finial decoration.”

“Hedley appears to have practiced architecture primarily in New York City, where he served as treasurer of the Architectural Draftsmen's Club of New York. THE DEBATE TO DEMOLISH THE LOOP ELEVATED: 1968-1981 In 1965, work began on a comprehensive study of the public transit system in downtown known as the Chicago Central Area Transit Project (CCATP).”