Misplaced Pages

#349650

63-593: Luther High School North , formerly known as Luther North College Prep , was a private high school located in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois . It was affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod . Its predecessor was Luther Institute, founded in 1909 as a Lutheran High School and located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago. In 1953 the school moved to

126-620: A 13.3-mile (21.4 km) extension of the Blue Line, from its current western terminus at Forest Park to Yorktown Center in Lombard, Illinois . Several feeder bus services would also be implemented in this plan. The prospect of this extension was also listed in the Chicago region's 2030 master plan. In 2013, the idea of an infill station at Nagle and Bryn Mawr Avenues was postponed. Such a station remains only idea but may come to fruition in

189-460: A campus in Portage Park, Chicago . Enrollment peaked at about 1,400 in the 1960s and 1970s, but declined thereafter. Due to financial difficulties, the Portage Park campus was sold to New Life Community Church in 2010, with the school sharing occupancy. In February 2017, with an enrollment of only 170 students despite recruiting efforts, the school announced that it would cease operations after

252-541: A mile (1.6 km) west of Mannheim Road. The line runs in the median of Interstate 190 east through Rosemont . The line has a station at River Road in Rosemont , which is also the location of the northern storage yard and served as a temporary terminal from 1983 to 1984 while the O'Hare station was being completed. The tracks then tunnel beneath the Kennedy Expressway / Northwest Tollway interchange near

315-638: A number of private parochial schools run by Roman Catholic and Lutheran congregations in the area. Portage Park has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by large margins. In the 2016 presidential election , Portage Park cast 15,884 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 5,344 votes for Donald Trump (71.11% to 23.93%). In the 2012 presidential election , Portage Park cast 14,028 votes for Barack Obama and cast 4,989 votes for Mitt Romney (72.34% to 25.73%). Chicago Public Library operates three branches located in

378-585: A perception that the CTA was uninterested in serving the West Side. On September 10, 2001, the CTA began a historic reconstruction of the Douglas Branch to repair its aging stations and tracks. The work was officially completed on January 8, 2005, with new elevated structures, tracks, rebuilt stations, new communication networks and an upgraded power system along the route. On January 1, 2005, weekend service

441-639: A plan in the form of another subway corridor in the Downtown area was proposed, which was to be routed from UIC-Halsted Station through the north portals, then north under Des Plaines Street to Monroe Street and east under Monroe Street to Grant Park and Millennium Park , where it was to split into two branches: one north to Walton Street serving the North Michigan Avenue area and the other southeast to McCormick Place utilizing Metra Electric right-of-way. Though these portals are still not used,

504-795: A portal near UIC-Halsted in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) and continue west. After exiting the subway, the tracks continue west in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway as the Forest Park branch , formerly called the Congress branch , successor to the Garfield Park Branch. Immediately west of Racine , the Forest Park branch tracks diverge to permit a ramp up to

567-435: A result of budget cuts that also eliminated owl service on several other lines. Congress (Forest Park) service was effectively doubled through much of the day since service frequency from O'Hare required shorter headways than what would have been left. While the CTA claimed Douglas branch reductions were due to low ridership, community activists also pointed to badly deteriorated infrastructure and funding shortfalls, as well as

630-462: A series of 'L' lines servicing the West Side of Chicago beginning in 1895. The first section to be built by the Metropolitan extended west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street from an independent terminal at Canal and Jackson Streets to Marshfield Avenue, and then northward in the vicinity of Paulina Street to Damen and Milwaukee Avenues. Service on this section began on May 6, 1895. The structure

693-616: A series of massive service cuts and station closings (that would last until the 1980s). The Metropolitan lines began to be reshaped into the current Blue Line on February 25, 1951, when the CTA opened the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway, connecting the Logan Square Branch with the Loop on a fast, efficient and more direct routing to downtown, rather than the previous circuitous route that saw these trains entering

SECTION 10

#1732791050350

756-536: A total of 33 stations (11 on the Forest Park branch, 9 in the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and 13 on the O'Hare branch). At about 27 miles, it is the longest line on the Chicago "L" system and second busiest, and one of the longest local subway/elevated lines in the world. It has an average of 72,475 passengers boarding each weekday in 2023. Chicago's Blue Line and Red Line offer 24-hour service, every day, year-round. This makes Chicago, New York City, and Copenhagen

819-491: Is a primarily residential area. The area's building stock is composed primarily of bungalows and two-flats. There are two large business districts in Portage Park; one, Six Corners , at the intersection of Irving, Cicero, and Milwaukee, and another at Belmont and Central extending south into Belmont-Cragin . The area was home to a number of movie palaces , among which were the Portage , Patio , and Belpark theaters. While

882-606: Is accessible via mass transit through the Blue Line . The Montrose station is located on Portage Park's northeastern edge in the Kennedy Expressway median and the Irving Park station is located on Portage Park's southeaster edge in the Kennedy Expressway median as well. The Milwaukee District / North Line has a station stop at Mayfair , just west of the Kennedy Expressway. The neighborhood of Portage Park

945-688: Is today Irving Park Road. The area was so swampy that in wet weather, Native Americans and trappers were easily able to paddle through the area in either direction without leaving their canoes . In those days, the Des Plaines was perhaps the most significant way to the Illinois , and then on to the Mississippi (and to return). Portage Park has the largest Polish community in the Chicago Metropolitan Area according to

1008-762: The 2000 census . Portage Park is home to the Polish American Association , the Polish Jesuit Millennium Center, the Polish Army Veterans Association in the beautiful building of the former Irving State bank, in addition to the multitude of Polish shops and businesses throughout the district. One of the area's parks is named Chopin Park after Frédéric Chopin , Poland 's most famous pianist and composer . In 1850, along with construction of

1071-640: The Des Plaines River . The line runs in the median of the Kennedy Expressway ( Interstate 90 ) until a point southeast of Addison Street, making stops at Cumberland , Harlem , Jefferson Park , Montrose , Irving Park and Addison . Between Montrose and Irving Park, the line tunnels beneath an express lane exit. South of Addison Street, the line descends into a subway and turns south under Kimball Avenue. The line travels under Kimball Avenue and Milwaukee Avenues through Logan Square , making stops at Belmont and Logan Square . South of Logan Square,

1134-712: The Hollywood Freeway in 1952, but the Pacific Electric service was an interurban streetcar rather than true rapid transit.) The new line connected with the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway at the Chicago River and extended westward to Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park. Loomis Ramp, built at this same time, permitted Douglas trains to be rerouted through the subway as well combining the Logan Square, Garfield Park (now Congress) and Douglas routes into

1197-1058: The Humboldt Park Branch , splitting off from the Logan Square Branch at Damen and running west alongside North Avenue to a terminal at Lawndale Avenue. This was followed by still another addition when the Douglas Park Branch was placed in operation as far south as 18th Street on April 28, 1896. As the southwest area of the city developed, the Douglas Park Branch was extended from 18th Street to Western Avenue in September 1896; to Pulaski Road in June 1902; to Cicero Avenue in December 1907; to Central Avenue in August 1912; to 62nd Avenue in August 1915, and to Oak Park Avenue in Berwyn on March 16, 1924. The Douglas Park branch

1260-568: The Northwest Plank Road (present Milwaukee Avenue), Jefferson Township was incorporated at the legendary Dickinson Tavern. Jefferson Township was part of a large swath of land annexed to the city in 1889 in advance of the World's Columbian Exposition . Much of the area was still largely rural in the early 20th century until the extension of streetcar lines into the area along Milwaukee , Irving, and Cicero lured in immigrants from

1323-527: The Villa District in Irving Park near historic St. Wenceslaus . The park originally had a dirt bottom pond that blended into a concrete bottom pool. The hill to the east of the pool that exists now, was the dirt that was removed when the pool was first created when the park was first established. The pond portion of the pool extended to the western edge of this 'hill'. The earliest building in

SECTION 20

#1732791050350

1386-535: The 2016–2017 school year. Portage Park, Chicago The area is notable for its Six Corners outdoor shopping district, centered at the intersection of Irving Park Road , Cicero Avenue and the diagonal Milwaukee Avenue , the Portage Theater and for its namesake - Portage Park . The name of the park was taken from the major portage linking the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers along what

1449-693: The Belpark is now closed, the Portage Theater has been renovated with public TIF funds and is now home to a performing arts center showing arthouse and silent films . The Patio was privately restored and now hosts musical and theater acts. Portage Park is also home to a cluster of architecturally significant churches , and is one of the few neighborhoods on the city's North Side highlighted in Marilyn Chiat's The Spiritual Traveler: Chicago and Illinois . The spires and steeples of these monumental edifices such as St. Ladislaus , St. John of Rila

1512-403: The Blue Line (14.6 miles (23.5 km)) and comprises both the oldest and newest segments of the entire route. The line starts at O'Hare International Airport in an underground station below the airport's main parking garage, with direct pedestrian access to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The line emerges in the median of the O'Hare main access road ( Interstate 190 ) just northwest of Terminal 5, about

1575-517: The Blue Line in between the Logan Square and Belmont stations. In the future this will mean that the CTA will be the largest rapid transit system with 4G coverage in subway tunnels and stations, this is targeted for the end of 2015. The Cermak branch , formerly known as the Douglas branch, was once operated as part of the Blue Line. On April 28, 2008, the CTA eliminated Blue Line service on

1638-621: The Blue Line on September 17, 2018. In addition to the mix of the 2600-series and 3200-series cars, two 5000-series trainsets assigned to the Pink Line make trips on the Blue Line during weekday rush hours, although these cars remain officially assigned to the Pink Line and are operated by Pink Line operators. The Blue Line is the successor to the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad , which built

1701-526: The Blue Line ranges between 3–4 tph. The Blue Line is operated with the 2600-series , 3200-series , and 7000-series railcars. In 2018, some of the 2600-series cars from the Blue Line fleet were replaced with the recently rehabbed 3200-series cars from the Brown and Orange Lines , with some of the 2600-series cars being reassigned to the Orange Line to replace them. These cars entered service on

1764-569: The Cermak Branch elevated structure. This ramp was formerly used in revenue service from 1958 to 2008 when the Blue Line operated over the Cermak branch and the Forest Park branch. With the replacement of Cermak branch Blue Line service with the Pink Line, the ramp is now non-revenue trackage used for the transfer of 5000 series trains that the Blue Line borrows from the Pink Line for weekday rush hour service. The Forest Park branch remains in

1827-474: The Cermak branch, having been replaced by the Pink Line . The Loomis ramp that connects the Congress branch to the Cermak branch remains intact for non-revenue equipment moves as the only track connection between the Blue Line and the rest of the system. On April 26, 1998, the Douglas Branch lost its overnight (owl) and weekend service and began operating between 4 a.m. and 1 a.m. on weekdays only as

1890-653: The Douglas branch and to make the Pink Line permanent. For years, there has been discussions of extending the O'Hare terminus of the Blue Line westward to Schaumburg , but that has been changed, due to recent developments involving the planning of the Metra STAR Line and various other transportation projects. However, in 2008, the Regional Transit Authority revealed a plan to the RTA board to expand commuter rail and bus service, which included

1953-422: The Forest Park and 54th/Cermak terminals. Due to community fears that the Pink Line would not be enough, however, the CTA decided to retain limited Douglas Branch Blue Line service during weekday rush hours. On February 15, 2006, the CTA approved the separate operation of the Douglas Branch plan. All non-rush hour trains would all be routed via the Loop, Green Line and Paulina Connector. During rush hour, service

Luther High School North - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-662: The Loop at the southwest corner. With opening of the Dearborn Subway, the old elevated alignment between Evergreen Portal and Marshfield Junction was decommissioned, used only for moving out-of-service rail cars. The northern section of the connection between Evergreen Avenue and Lake Street was demolished in the 1960s, leaving the Lake Street to Douglas Branch section—better known as the Paulina Connector—the only section still in operation. The Humboldt Park Branch

2079-418: The Loop. East of Clark/Lake, the tracks swing south under Dearborn Street, with a continuous platform similar to the continuous platform used in the adjacent State Street subway , with stops at Washington , Monroe , and Jackson . South of Jackson, the line turns west under Ida B. Wells Drive (with stops at LaSalle and Clinton , which is two blocks south of Union Station ). The tracks then emerge from

2142-528: The Portage Park community area: Portage-Cragin, Austin-Irving and Jefferson Park. Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority) The Blue Line is a 26.93-mile-long (43.34 km) Chicago "L" line which runs from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and across the West Side to its southwest end in Forest Park , with

2205-568: The Wonderworker , St. Bartholomew, St. Ferdinand, and Our Lady of Victory tower over the neighborhood, giving the area much of its charm. Portage Park served as the focus that brought together the different communities in the area and created the neighborhood. The field house at Portage Park was designed by Clarence Hatzfeld , whose firm Hatzfeld and Knox would later design many of the Prairie and Craftsman-style bungalows just east in

2268-508: The current color naming system was adopted in 1993. Blue Line service on the Douglas segment was replaced in April 2008 by the Pink Line . The Blue Line is one of five "L" lines that run into Chicago suburbs, with the others being the Green, Purple , Pink, and Yellow lines. The Blue Line runs in three suburbs: Rosemont, Oak Park, and Forest Park. The O'Hare branch is the longest section of

2331-475: The first section between Jefferson Park and River Road opening on February 27, 1983, and the final section to O'Hare on September 3, 1984. On February 21, 1993, the CTA adopted a color-coded naming system to the rapid transit system, and the West-Northwest route (O'Hare-Congress/Douglas) became the Blue Line. On October 15, 2015, the CTA announced the completed installation of 4G wireless service on

2394-640: The future because that particular stretch of the line, between Jefferson Park and Harlem, is the second longest on the 'L' system without a station, behind the gap on the Yellow Line between Oakton-Skokie and Howard , although the Yellow Line was designed this way to quickly shuttle passengers to/from the Howard station ( the Howard station serves the Red and Purple Lines). In December 2016, Pace introduced

2457-406: The intersection of Ashland and Milwaukee Avenues, the Blue Line descends underground, swings over to Milwaukee Avenue, and continues southeast towards downtown under Milwaukee Avenue (with stops at Division , Chicago and Grand ). The line then turns east under Lake Street, crossing beneath the Chicago River , and makes a stop at Clark/Lake , where in-system transfers are provided to 'L' trains on

2520-534: The line emerges above ground onto an elevated structure parallel to Milwaukee Avenue. This section of structure, built in 1895 as part of the Metropolitan Elevated's Logan Square branch , is the oldest portion of the Blue Line, and the sole section of the line on an elevated viaduct. The three stations on this section ( California , Western , and Damen ) are also the only three stations on the line to use side platforms instead of island platforms. At

2583-486: The median of the expressway through the west side of Chicago until it reaches a portal at Lotus Avenue. At this point the tracks pass beneath the eastbound expressway lanes and before emerging on the south side of the expressway next to the CSX Transportation ( Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad ) tracks. The route passes through Oak Park and into Forest Park . In the vicinity of Desplaines Avenue

Luther High School North - Misplaced Pages Continue

2646-494: The midday and nighttime. On Saturdays, service runs 8tph in the early morning, then increase to 10 tph during the day, then 8 tph at night. On Sundays, service runs 6–8 tph early morning, then increase to 10 tph all day, then 6 tph at night. On the weekends, every other Blue Line train operates between O'Hare and UIC-Halsted only during the daytime, doubling the headways up to 5 tph. Between approximately midnight and 5:30 a.m., night owl service on

2709-599: The north of the Blue Line portals, which extend only a few dozen feet beyond the portals. These were intended to accommodate future expansion, including a new CA&E line to a new terminal. Among those plans were a loop subway system via Congress, Dearborn, Lake, and Clinton when the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway was completed between 1951 and 1958, and a shuttle subway route under Jackson Street to Grant Park (1958, "New Horizons for Chicago Metropolitan Area", CTA ). Between 1968 and 1978,

2772-657: The on-highway BRT I-90 Express service. The successor to the Blue Line Extension and the STAR Line, this service serves as an extension of the Blue Line and provides rapid service along I-90 all the way to Elgin. The surface right-of-way for the Congress Branch, including overcrossings, undergrade bridges and two short tunnels under the expressway, contains space for one extra track between Forest Park and Kenton Avenue and two extra tracks from Kenton to

2835-600: The only three cities in the world to offer local nonstop rail service throughout their city limits 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Blue Line is one of two lines in Chicago with more than one station having the same name, with the Green Line being the other. (The Blue Line has two stations at Harlem Avenue: one in the Kennedy Expressway on the Northwest side and one on the Eisenhower Expressway in Forest Park, Illinois . It also has two stations on Western Avenue: one on

2898-499: The overcrowded tenements of the city's ethnic enclaves. Soon Scandinavian , German , Italian , Polish and Irish families from the industrial areas by the Chicago River such as Polish Downtown and Goose Island were buying lots in the vicinity to build their homes. Area developers such as Szajkowski, Schorsch as well as Koester and Zander subdivided what had been farmland into subdivisions of what became part of Chicago's famous " bungalow belt ". The Portage Park neighborhood

2961-406: The park is the gymnasium, followed by the field house. The staircase to the field house was a circular affair, supported by several cement posts under the platform that was created by a large landing at the second floor. The WPA was very involved in the creation of the long gone Rock House at the south end of the Park. This Rock House had a small pond area that had goldfish and flower basins. Until

3024-549: The polio epidemic, the water was kept at a substantial depth to support the fish over winter. The flower planters to the north and east of the main entrance off Central at Irving Park Road will give an idea of just what the Rock House looked like. There were seats throughout the half circle structure of flagstone. Except for the overhead wooden canopy, every where you looked there was white flagstone - walls, seats, floor, support pillars. The Chicago Park District has WPA photos of

3087-549: The second through service in Chicago, the Congress/Douglas-Milwaukee Line. A five-mile (8 km) extension of the route via a short subway connection and the Kennedy Expressway median from Logan Square to Jefferson Park opened on February 1, 1970. It was also built by the City of Chicago using federal money. Just before Logan Square, trains diverted off of the old elevated structure and entered

3150-608: The segment between downtown and O'Hare, and one immediately west of downtown.) The Blue Line also has two in-system transfers (both in the Loop), and does not share tracks with any other 'L' line. Before the adoption of color-coded names, the Blue Line was referred to as the West-Northwest Route, or more commonly, the O'Hare-Congress-Douglas route for its three branches. The Congress and Douglas branches were renamed for their terminals, Forest Park and 54th/Cermak , when

3213-407: The service cut was an experiment, the CTA immediately covered Blue Line stations' directional signage for trains to 54th/Cermak with paint rather than temporary covering, suggesting it was a permanent discontinuation instead of a temporary one. All Douglas Branch operations are now served by the Pink Line. On December 4, 2008, CTA announced its decision to permanently discontinue Blue Line service on

SECTION 50

#1732791050350

3276-624: The structure. The park predates all of the buildings that surround it. The swimming events of the Pan-American Games were held here in 1959 in the second pool constructed in the park, as were the US swimming trials for the 1972 Summer Olympics . The neighborhood of Portage Park has a number of other greenspaces aside from the neighborhood's namesake park: Portage Park residents are served by Chicago Public Schools , which includes neighborhood and citywide options for students. There are also

3339-414: The subway corridor plan under Monroe Street was never officially canceled when the Crosstown and Loop Subway projects were deferred in 1979. It remains to this day an active program. Between Grand/Milwaukee and Clark/Lake in the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway, two more stub tunnels exist, continuing west under Lake Street while the in-service tracks turn northwest under Milwaukee Avenue. This junction (actually

3402-424: The subway under Milwaukee and Kedzie Avenues to a portal just south of Addison Street, then emerged in the median of the Kennedy Expressway to the temporary terminal at Jefferson Park. The increased ridership that resulted from the extension prompted the CTA to build the second phase of the project, and extend the line the rest of the way to O'Hare. In March 1980, construction began on the O'Hare Airport extension, with

3465-502: The tracks rise and make an S-curve north over the expressway before terminating at the Forest Park station. Like the Red Line , the Blue Line runs 24 hours a day. Most trains run between O'Hare and Forest Park stations, but others terminate at a different station along the line. On weekdays, service runs very frequently (10–20 tph (trains per hour)) during rush hour (with some trains running short-turn services between UIC-Halsted and Jefferson Park or Rosemont), and 6–8 tph during

3528-431: The tunnel portals at UIC-Halsted. It was intended that the interurban Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, which had utilized the Garfield Park Elevated until 1953 to reach its Loop terminal at Wells Street, would use these extra tracks. However, the CA&E ceased passenger service on July 3, 1957, before track construction had started. The CTA also considered plans of its own to add these as express tracks (and service) over

3591-416: The years, as well as a rerouting of the Lake Elevated onto the Paulina Elevated (today's Pink Line ) into a new quadrant of the junction with the Douglas Line at Racine, but these plans were discarded for alternative plans and today the system has an entirely separate line in the system, the Pink Line. The dual portals of the Congress Branch at UIC-Halsted are actually quadruple. Two extra portals exist to

3654-412: Was available on the new route as well as the existing route via the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway. These changes were scheduled to be implemented for a 180-day trial period beginning June 25, 2006, and after their evaluation in early 2007, the Pink Line remained in service. Beginning April 28, 2008, the CTA began a six-month experimental ceasing of Blue Line operations on the Douglas. Despite maintaining that

3717-426: Was completed from Damen Avenue to Logan Square on May 25, 1895. The next stage in the development of the West Side 'L' came on June 19, 1895, when the Garfield Park Branch was added, extending west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street and Harrison Street from Marshfield Avenue to Cicero Avenue. An extension of service over the tracks of the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad to a new terminal at Desplaines Avenue

3780-467: Was cut back to a full-time shuttle between Damen and Lawndale, and discontinued a year later on May 3, 1952. The Garfield Park elevated was replaced by the Congress line on June 22, 1958, pioneering the world's first use of rail rapid transit and a multi-lane automobile expressway in the same grade-separated right-of-way. ( Pacific Electric Railway "Red Car" tracks ran in the median of the Cahuenga Parkway in Los Angeles from 1944 until its expansion into

3843-441: Was established on March 11, 1905. A subsequent extension to Westchester opened on October 1, 1926, over tracks that had originally been built by the CA&E with the intentions of building a bypass route. (Low ridership would prompt the CTA to discontinue service on the Westchester extension on December 9, 1951. ) Another branch line was added to the rapidly growing Metropolitan on July 29, 1895, when trains began operating over

SECTION 60

#1732791050350

3906-409: Was later cut back to 54th Avenue in Cicero . The Metropolitan West Side Elevated began service onto the Loop on October 11, 1897, and a rush period stub terminal at Wells Street was added October 3, 1904. For much of the early 20th century and through the 1940s, service on the West Side Elevated lines went unchanged until 1947, when the Chicago Transit Authority took control of the 'L', initiating

3969-463: Was restored. In January 2005, the CTA held hearings on a proposal to reroute Douglas Branch service via the recently rebuilt Paulina Connector to the Lake Street Green Line , carrying Douglas trains to and around the elevated Loop for the first time since 1958. It was the first stage of what became the Pink Line . This would have allowed a doubling of Blue Line trains to Forest Park on the Congress Branch, since service would no longer be divided between

#349650