Berwyn (5300N/1200W)
Berwyn Avenue and Broadway, Edgewater

Service Notes:

	Red Line: Howard
	Owl Service

Quick Facts:

Address: 1121 W. Berwyn Avenue
Established: circa 1916-17
Original Line: Northwestern Elevated Railroad
Previous Names: Edgewater Beach

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 1921
Status: In Use

History:

"L" service first entered north Chicago and Evanston by way of an agreement to use the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway's tracks on May 16, 1908, replacing the steam service that the St. Paul had previously provided. The Chicago City Council authorized the electrification of the tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad's tracks from Graceland Avenue (Irving Park Road) to the city limits on July 1, 1907.

Unlike Evanston (as per the 1907 franchise agreement from the city), the Chicago City Council did not require that the grade-level tracks be elevated, but they did prohibit the use of a third rail for safety's sake, necessitating the use of overhead trolley wire. During this period, there was no station at Berwyn, however.

In the mid-1910s, the Northwestern Elevated began to elevate the tracks north from Wilson to Howard, but work was slow due to the city's refusal to close intersecting streets and the narrow right-of-way. In early 1916, trains were moved onto a temporary trestle, but construction of a permanent embankment had to wait until the end of World War I due to a materials shortage.

A station at Berwyn Avenue, originally named Edgewater Beach station, was added during the elevation process. Although the exact date of the station's opening has not been identified, the station may have opened circa 1916-17. A question submitted by a citizen to the "To Friend of the People" column of the Chicago Daily Tribune in the December 14, 1915 edition asked if the Berwyn station would open by January 1, 1916, to which the Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company replied: "Berwyn station will not be opened until a permanent station is built in the spring. It is expected that operations will commence on the elevated embankment some time during January." In reality, the elevated embankment was not completed for another five or six years. However, another Tribune item dated February 18, 1917 mentions a property as "adjoining the Berwyn L station", suggesting the station existed by that time. If indeed it was open by early 1917, it was a temporary facility that was utilized during the track elevation project. By early 1922, the new four track mainline was completed.

The interior of Berwyn station on July 21, 2005. The agent booth, with its intricate wooden moldings and decorations, is original, one of the few left in the North Side embankment stations. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

The permanent station at Berwyn was completed with the track elevation. The entrance to the "L" station was located on the south side of Berwyn Avenue. The station had a design typical of the facilities built as part of the Wilson-Howard elevation project. Designed by architect Charles P. Rawson and engineered by C.F Loweth, the architectural design was a Prairie School-influenced vernacular form, with the Prairie influence seen most acutely in the ornamental cement pilasters on the front facade and in the details of the wooden doors, windows, and ticket agents' booths. The exterior was brick and cast concrete with a bedford stone base, wooden doors and large plate glass windows and transoms. Ornamental globed light fixtures decorated the pilaster capitals. Berwyn's station house was centered within the solid-fill embankment, with retail spaces flanking it on both sides filling in the remaining width of the embankment.

The interior was rendered in plaster, wood, glazed brick, and brick with terrazzo floors. There were arches stretching across the interior between the support columns. In the center of the interior, passengers found a decorative wooden ticket agent's booth with ornamental woodwork and a metal grille over the ticket agent's window. The station also had public restrooms.

The platform was of the island variety between the middle two of four tracks (Tracks #2 and 3), which at the time served Howard- and Evanston-bound local trains and which now serves the Red Line. The platform had wood decking and a canopy with metal columns down the center line which split into gently-curving gull wing-shaped roof supports, supporting a wooden canopy roof. The stairs were sheltered by wooden enclosures with wooden bottoms and windows on top, divided into rows of square panes, with swinging doors at the front of each enclosure. Like most of the stations north of Lawrence, there was originally an auxiliary exit on the north side of the street, descending down in the middle of retail spaces built under the elevated, now closed.

The station's name was changed from "Edgewater Beach" to "Berwyn" by 1960, with an intermediate stage during which the station was listed as "Berwyn - Edgewater Beach" on system maps throughout the 1950s.

In 2006, the station name signs and column signs on the platform were replaced, with Current Graphic Standard signs replacing the KDR Standard graphics, and new entrance signs installed as part of a signage upgrade project on the Red Line. As part of this effort, the station also received granite compass roses inset into the sidewalk in front of the station entrance to assist customers leaving the station to navigate their way, and three-sided galvanized steel pylons in the station house and on the platform to display maps and station timetables.

In 2008, the canopy at Berwyn was refurbished. The roof was removed and replaced with a new corrugated metal top. The metal canopy supports were stripped and repainted. New lighting was also installed as part of the renovation.

The island platform at Berwyn, looking north on July 21, 2005. The gull-wing canopy supports and roof structure all date from the construction of the station in the early 1920s. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

	cta4271d.jpg (105k) Car 4271 leads a four-car southbound Evanston Express passing Berwyn station on the North-South Route on September 15, 1969. (Photo by Doug Grotjahn, Collection of Joe Testagrose)
	cta2677.jpg (88k) Car 2677 trails a southbound Red Line train as it pulls out of Berwyn station on its way to 95th/Dan Ryan on September 26, 1999. (Photo by Mike Farrell)
	berwyn01.jpg (195k) The exterior of Berwyn station is seen looking east on July 21, 2005. The retail spaces flanking the station entrance -- the one in the foreground is occupied by a short-order restaurant at the time of the photo -- are seen filling out the width of the embankment. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	berwyn03.jpg (142k) At the time of this July 21, 2005 photo, the exterior of Berwyn station still had its original 1920-vintage upturned light fixtures, with decorative cast metal curved arms and globed lights. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	berwyn04.jpg (168k) The north side of Berwyn Avenue, opposite the station entrance, also had retail spaces built into the embankment. Using extra space for rental commercial properties provided extra income for the "L" companies, and later for the CTA. The design of these spaces complimented the station. As at other North Side stations, Berwyn originally had an auxiliary exit here too. Nearly all of these have been removed, with the vacated space at Berwyn filled in by a decorative tile graphic, seen looking north on July 21, 2005. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	berwyn07.jpg (191k) Berwyn station's island platform is seen looking north on July 21, 2005 under the gull-wing canopy. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

(Thanks to LeRoy Blommaert for information regarding the station's opening date.)