Good time for me as videographer to chime in...there have been many viewpoints as comments and they are all appreciated. Even if I disagree, I try not to delete comments because the person making them was usually sincere. There are no easy answers to the modern-day conditions in Black communities. One thing for sure, they mostly remain owned and controlled from the outside...what else hasn't changed historically since slavery. Keep your comments coming.
So long as crime runs the area, no one will ever want to build or set up a business in this area. The L really wont make much difference whether its there or not. People like Rush, Jackson, all they do is incite hate! Blaming white America for the problems in Englewood and the West side! Give me a break!!! The west side has businesses, Popeyes Chicken, McDonalds, and other and people say theres no jobs???? Excuses! excuses!!
if i remember right, at the time scrap metal was going for about 300 bucks per ton. makes me wonder who was involved with the contractor and who ended up with the money from all that scrap steel...i hope it went to the city at least.
Thanks to all who have watched this historical drama...thanks to all who have commented. Unfortunately, many have seized the quickest targets and forgotten your lessons in history....you've names reverends, aldermen, community groups, these were all scapegoats. Ask yourself, who is the largest promoter of racial segregation and the largest protectionists on the south side. Now after you've answered this...you know why the "L" came down.
@msibnsf I never listen to any of these community activists such as Jesse Jackson and Bobby Rush. Whenever I see them in the newspaper, I quickly flip the page. Their words always spark something it seems.
The demolition of the green line from Cottage Grove east to Dorchester was one of the dumbest things to happen in the area.
Arthur Brasier, Alderman Troutman and TWO are the reasons for the El's destruction. They felt the lack of development was because of the El. Well if you think the construction of 20 tacky suburban like houses that look alike is an improvement. The majority of the land is still undeveloped.
And we had the federal funding to rehab that eastern section.
i dont believe in tracks over street, as to me they are an eyesore, unless there is alot of development, in this case, there is not, but i do believe it should still be there, but in my opinion an underground line would be better, samewith the Lake Street green line.
Tracks over the streets maybe an eyesore to you, but it's the way thousands upon thousands of people travel daily, and that's the greater good.
It's also a part of our history.
Subways are much more costly to build as you have to worry about relocating utilities and such.
There's no real reason to demolish what's perfectly viable for the alternative you mentioned. Now for any new lines or extensions, that should be considered.
What took the place of this el? Were its trains rerouted to another, new line like the Orange Line was done in Boston or was this a total discontinuation of service? Maybe trains were rerouted to a nearby subway?
Nothing. The neighborhood is pretty blighted and there's not much to be served by the part of the line that was torn down. I still think it was a dumb move.
I agree I wanted to take it at least as far as Dorchester av..But the Rev at the church there on Dorchester wanted it gone because he felt like the trains was making too much noise during his surmon..
@MCELVAINE6996 How dumb can you get? The el was not perfect but it was the only CTA rail line in that part of Woodlawn. Not only did the Lake Park El station serve Woodlawn but it was a transfer pointfor people geting off the busses from Stony Island, Jeffrey, and Yates. A real real loss of transportation that the South Side did not need, all because of one man's ego.
@boazrg Well I know the EL wasn't perfect thats way I wanted it at Dorchester because the line was deterating and it might damage the Metra line,,..But in spite of all that they could have fixed it..They tore down a big peice of history and I'm still upset
All they tore down was the end of the the line. The line still exists, its just shorter. There is really nothing in the neighborhood, so nothing to serve. This same fate fell on other sections of the L, but its very debatable if the scrapping of the other lines that had the same fate of being shortened helped the neighborhoods or not, but the CTA lost at least one brand new station that they had just heavily refurbishment.
You have to remember politicians are not the brightest of people, otherwise they would have honest jobs. Someone says something and they all jump on the bandwagon. That is what happened here.
Not entirely sure, but I believe it occurred since a pastor actively campaigned for it's demolition, causing the area to be 'blighted'. It's a shame it occurred, since the area east of 63rd will never again see 'L service for many years to come, if by some extremely odd chance those tracks are rebuilt.
The University of Chicago didn't help either years ago, since they discouraged students from using the Green Line stops east of Cottage Grove, which further decreased ridership.
It is sad to see that Chicago demo;ished this section, recently two years ago, the city removed completely the west Philadelphia elevated structure, this stretch went from 46 th street to Upper Darby terminal in Delaware county, they saved nothing of the original structure, it almost looks like a monorail, ugly to. One thing was that this older stretch was built differently from the Northeast, the supports went straight down to the street, the structure sat in the middle of the street.
One thing I wanted to mention, the restoration on this section of Elevated was thoughtfully done, they retained all the original main supports, this elevated was built between 1916 and 1921, construction haulted due to WW1. It was considered by some to be more of an elevated railroad, because of it's concrete track bed above. This design proved more effective, it was strong, steel reinforced concrete, and it made life underneath much quieter, no sparks flying down from the third rail either.
In the early 90's, the city of Philadelphia and Septa embarked on a bold venture, to completely restored the entire stretch of elevated from Girard avenue all the way up to Bridge and Pratt streets in the city's Frankford section, the final leg of this construction ended in early 2003. the newly renovated Margaret-Ortohdox station and the tracks in between the brand new Frankford terminal were finally connected. This last leg took longer than expected, I am still not sure as to why.
Even by Chicago standards, this was an idiotic move. Having the El terminate at 63rd and Stony was vital not only to Woodlawn, but to commuters who needed to access the El by bus from South Shore. For almost one hundred years, 63rd and Stony Island was a major tranportation hub. All this because of a minister plugged into city hall. Another nail in the coffin a a once showcase city.
This was a public disgrace!!!! Damn all of the people involved in destroying one of the best transit lines in Chicago. They demolished this section in 1 day, whereas, it took months for them to demolish the El from Dorchester to Stony Island (3 blocks). This was just like Meigs Field's demise. Done without public knowledge.
This reminded me of the MBTA's Orange Line in Boston/Roxbury being demolished in late '87 into '88 and thru early 1989, I really was mad when they were removing and bulldozing it, it was fun to ride in Boston over Washington Street, but at least in Chicago, they did not remove the whole Lower Green Line, that would really be bad.....
Makes no sense does it...you sort of have to grow up in Chicago to understand it and even then it makes no sense. All you have to know is that all politicians in Chicago are crooks.
that's odd because the el has helped several communties in the city including ravenswood and around where the lake st el leaves the loop past the united center. I think the city would rebuild it if the area became yupified. They hate cars and love public transit.
Actually the station was at 63rd & Dorchetser. There was to be a state of the art terminal there with the bus terminal on the southeast corner. You can find the parts of that station at 63rd & Calumet under the old el yard.
I don't get it...the green line still goes to 63rd and Ashland and also 63rd and Grove (it rotates) how could it have been torn down like that? Did they rebuild it from scratch? or is this another location?
Good time for me as videographer to chime in...there have been many viewpoints as comments and they are all appreciated. Even if I disagree, I try not to delete comments because the person making them was usually sincere. There are no easy answers to the modern-day conditions in Black communities. One thing for sure, they mostly remain owned and controlled from the outside...what else hasn't changed historically since slavery. Keep your comments coming.
DH msibnsf
msibnsf 1 week ago
So long as crime runs the area, no one will ever want to build or set up a business in this area. The L really wont make much difference whether its there or not. People like Rush, Jackson, all they do is incite hate! Blaming white America for the problems in Englewood and the West side! Give me a break!!! The west side has businesses, Popeyes Chicken, McDonalds, and other and people say theres no jobs???? Excuses! excuses!!
RTD8481 1 week ago
It dosent matter who's in office! All politicians suck! This guy they call the president is a classic example!
RTD8481 1 week ago
Destroying this historic section of the East 63rd L train was....
And I want to be blunt when I say this....
THE
WORST
MISTAKE
EVER
P E R I O D
Like if you Totally Agree!!!!!!!
sw1zzie 1 month ago 2
if i remember right, at the time scrap metal was going for about 300 bucks per ton. makes me wonder who was involved with the contractor and who ended up with the money from all that scrap steel...i hope it went to the city at least.
charger959 10 months ago
Thanks to all who have watched this historical drama...thanks to all who have commented. Unfortunately, many have seized the quickest targets and forgotten your lessons in history....you've names reverends, aldermen, community groups, these were all scapegoats. Ask yourself, who is the largest promoter of racial segregation and the largest protectionists on the south side. Now after you've answered this...you know why the "L" came down.
D. Harrison (msibnsf)
msibnsf 11 months ago
@msibnsf I never listen to any of these community activists such as Jesse Jackson and Bobby Rush. Whenever I see them in the newspaper, I quickly flip the page. Their words always spark something it seems.
Stamolka1986 8 months ago
The demolition of the green line from Cottage Grove east to Dorchester was one of the dumbest things to happen in the area.
Arthur Brasier, Alderman Troutman and TWO are the reasons for the El's destruction. They felt the lack of development was because of the El. Well if you think the construction of 20 tacky suburban like houses that look alike is an improvement. The majority of the land is still undeveloped.
And we had the federal funding to rehab that eastern section.
BVictor21 1 year ago 2
i dont believe in tracks over street, as to me they are an eyesore, unless there is alot of development, in this case, there is not, but i do believe it should still be there, but in my opinion an underground line would be better, samewith the Lake Street green line.
pawpawnorth 1 year ago
@pawpawnorth
Tracks over the streets maybe an eyesore to you, but it's the way thousands upon thousands of people travel daily, and that's the greater good.
It's also a part of our history.
Subways are much more costly to build as you have to worry about relocating utilities and such.
There's no real reason to demolish what's perfectly viable for the alternative you mentioned. Now for any new lines or extensions, that should be considered.
BVictor21 1 year ago
@BVictor21 thats true
pawpawnorth 1 year ago
The area is now nothing but vacant lots. The politicians obviously never tried to rent a store next to the "el"
boilerbob7 1 year ago
@boilerbob7
The area has been vacant lots for decades.
There was a dramatic decline in the area during the 1950's through the 1970's
BVictor21 1 year ago
i think its funny that CTA lines dont have anything to prevent the cars from falling off the side or away to get out of the train to a safe area.
howardkevinm 1 year ago
@howardkevinm why do they need things on the side? That's what tracks are for! Why would you be on the tracks in first place?
metraF40PH163 1 year ago
@metraF40PH163 last time i checked the L derails about 6 times a year.
howardkevinm 1 year ago
What took the place of this el? Were its trains rerouted to another, new line like the Orange Line was done in Boston or was this a total discontinuation of service? Maybe trains were rerouted to a nearby subway?
RDG484 2 years ago
Nothing. The neighborhood is pretty blighted and there's not much to be served by the part of the line that was torn down. I still think it was a dumb move.
lJohnnyTheFoxl 2 years ago 3
I agree I wanted to take it at least as far as Dorchester av..But the Rev at the church there on Dorchester wanted it gone because he felt like the trains was making too much noise during his surmon..
MCELVAINE6996 2 years ago
@MCELVAINE6996 How dumb can you get? The el was not perfect but it was the only CTA rail line in that part of Woodlawn. Not only did the Lake Park El station serve Woodlawn but it was a transfer pointfor people geting off the busses from Stony Island, Jeffrey, and Yates. A real real loss of transportation that the South Side did not need, all because of one man's ego.
boazrg 1 year ago
@boazrg Well I know the EL wasn't perfect thats way I wanted it at Dorchester because the line was deterating and it might damage the Metra line,,..But in spite of all that they could have fixed it..They tore down a big peice of history and I'm still upset
MCELVAINE6996 1 year ago
All they tore down was the end of the the line. The line still exists, its just shorter. There is really nothing in the neighborhood, so nothing to serve. This same fate fell on other sections of the L, but its very debatable if the scrapping of the other lines that had the same fate of being shortened helped the neighborhoods or not, but the CTA lost at least one brand new station that they had just heavily refurbishment.
will107 2 years ago
they discontinued the whole green line to inprove the line because it was very old and in need of repair
MCELVAINE6996 2 years ago
You have to remember politicians are not the brightest of people, otherwise they would have honest jobs. Someone says something and they all jump on the bandwagon. That is what happened here.
Trainbrain1949 2 years ago 5
why did they tear the tracks down?
Acela4000 2 years ago
Not entirely sure, but I believe it occurred since a pastor actively campaigned for it's demolition, causing the area to be 'blighted'. It's a shame it occurred, since the area east of 63rd will never again see 'L service for many years to come, if by some extremely odd chance those tracks are rebuilt.
The University of Chicago didn't help either years ago, since they discouraged students from using the Green Line stops east of Cottage Grove, which further decreased ridership.
prfsnlwannabe 2 years ago
thats why we live in CROOK COUNTY
26Deacon 2 years ago 2
It is sad to see that Chicago demo;ished this section, recently two years ago, the city removed completely the west Philadelphia elevated structure, this stretch went from 46 th street to Upper Darby terminal in Delaware county, they saved nothing of the original structure, it almost looks like a monorail, ugly to. One thing was that this older stretch was built differently from the Northeast, the supports went straight down to the street, the structure sat in the middle of the street.
italobambino43 2 years ago
One thing I wanted to mention, the restoration on this section of Elevated was thoughtfully done, they retained all the original main supports, this elevated was built between 1916 and 1921, construction haulted due to WW1. It was considered by some to be more of an elevated railroad, because of it's concrete track bed above. This design proved more effective, it was strong, steel reinforced concrete, and it made life underneath much quieter, no sparks flying down from the third rail either.
italobambino43 2 years ago
In the early 90's, the city of Philadelphia and Septa embarked on a bold venture, to completely restored the entire stretch of elevated from Girard avenue all the way up to Bridge and Pratt streets in the city's Frankford section, the final leg of this construction ended in early 2003. the newly renovated Margaret-Ortohdox station and the tracks in between the brand new Frankford terminal were finally connected. This last leg took longer than expected, I am still not sure as to why.
italobambino43 2 years ago
Comment removed
italobambino43 2 years ago
In my upcoming novel that take place in 2009-2010, the Green Line has been restored to Jackson Park. It's good to dream.
But then a tornado severed the line at Cottage Grove later on in the series.
ThaExpress2609 3 years ago
No wonder the CTA is in financial distress. No one is going to ride it when it doesn't service the communities.
Posts here are right in saying this was all political---a cheap way to buy votes.
RiisPark99 3 years ago
Depressing! But thanks for the excellent video!
Larski 3 years ago
Even by Chicago standards, this was an idiotic move. Having the El terminate at 63rd and Stony was vital not only to Woodlawn, but to commuters who needed to access the El by bus from South Shore. For almost one hundred years, 63rd and Stony Island was a major tranportation hub. All this because of a minister plugged into city hall. Another nail in the coffin a a once showcase city.
boazrg 3 years ago
This was a public disgrace!!!! Damn all of the people involved in destroying one of the best transit lines in Chicago. They demolished this section in 1 day, whereas, it took months for them to demolish the El from Dorchester to Stony Island (3 blocks). This was just like Meigs Field's demise. Done without public knowledge.
19171969 3 years ago
This reminded me of the MBTA's Orange Line in Boston/Roxbury being demolished in late '87 into '88 and thru early 1989, I really was mad when they were removing and bulldozing it, it was fun to ride in Boston over Washington Street, but at least in Chicago, they did not remove the whole Lower Green Line, that would really be bad.....
RobertPaniagua 3 years ago
How can decreasing public mass transit increase development?
Xone7 3 years ago 2
Makes no sense does it...you sort of have to grow up in Chicago to understand it and even then it makes no sense. All you have to know is that all politicians in Chicago are crooks.
tedj1957 3 years ago
Especially Blagojevich! Good thing he's not governor anymore!
eman2129 2 years ago
The rationale for tearing it down was that two politically connected community leaders thought the "L" was a detriment to development.
msibnsf 3 years ago 2
Yeah some people! >:-(
eman2129 2 years ago
that's odd because the el has helped several communties in the city including ravenswood and around where the lake st el leaves the loop past the united center. I think the city would rebuild it if the area became yupified. They hate cars and love public transit.
packr72 2 years ago 2
@msibnsf and look at the area now. Nothing but vacant lots almost all the way to Dorchester.
spoung45a 1 year ago
What was the rational for tearing it down?
adelgado75 3 years ago
painful---.
nicademas7779 3 years ago
They tore down the part after Cottage Grove to the Illinois Central tracks. They only renovated up to Cottage Grove going east.
BrickyardE170 3 years ago
Actually they rehabbed to University. There was new track and a new University Station that was 90% finished but never got to be used.
Shattyapple 3 years ago
Actually the station was at 63rd & Dorchetser. There was to be a state of the art terminal there with the bus terminal on the southeast corner. You can find the parts of that station at 63rd & Calumet under the old el yard.
19171969 2 years ago
Actually, it was at Dorchester.
eman2129 2 years ago
I don't get it...the green line still goes to 63rd and Ashland and also 63rd and Grove (it rotates) how could it have been torn down like that? Did they rebuild it from scratch? or is this another location?
IBMeddling 3 years ago