Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Quincy 'L' Stop Doesn't Look A Day Older Than 120 As $18M Face-Lift Starts

By Heather Cherone | April 21, 2017 1:15pm | Updated on April 21, 2017 1:20pm
 cool historic photos of quincy stop
Quincy Stop photos
View Full Caption

THE LOOP — As a $1.8 million face-lift of one of the oldest CTA train stations in Chicago gets underway, Mayor Rahm Emanuel Friday promised to preserve the station's historic touches while giving it a modern makeover.

The 120-year-old "L" stop at Quincy and Wells streets near Willis Tower will get new elevators and stairs, making it accessible to people with disabilities for the first time in its history. The stop on the Brown, Orange, Pink and Purple lines will remain open.

"This is an investment in the future," Emanuel said, flanked by CTA President Dorval Carter.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.


Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the Quincy station renovations will preserve the station's historic elements. [DNAinfo/Heather Cherone]

Near Union Station and 10 bus routes, the Quincy station serves 2.2 million riders annually, and was the 20th busiest stop in the CTA system with 175,000 riders in January, the most recent period data was available, according to the CTA. Service will not be interrupted by the work, which also will include new lights and paint.

The station opened in 1897, back when William McKinley was president and Wells Street was called Fifth Avenue. The station's platform has since been extended, and electric signs with arrival times have been added, but much of the station's original look remains intact due to historic preservation efforts.

See historic photos of the Quincy 'L' stop during the 1940s