Drake (3500W/2100S)
Drake Avenue and 21st Street, North Lawndale

Service Notes:

Douglas Line

Quick Facts:

Address: TBD
Established: March 10, 1902
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Douglas Park branch
Previous Names: Clifton Park
Skip-Stop Type: n/a
Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

History:

The Clifton Park station -- later renamed Drake in the mid-1930s -- was one of the seven stations that made up the 1902 extension of the Douglas Park branch from Western to 40th Avenue.

Drake's headhouse design was probably typical of the architecture for most of the Metropolitan Elevated's 1902 Douglas extension. The buildings, executed in brown brick and tan rusticated stone with wooden doors and window frames, had an eclectic mix of influences and styles, many of which were purely vernacular. The use of dark brick masonry, heavy, rough-cut stone in the sills and quoins, and the decorative brickwork and terra cotta along the cornice all suggest Queen Anne design with some influence of the Romanesque Revival style. The stations were generally square except for a bay in front and was one story tall.

The stations' dual side platforms had canopies and railings typical of all Met stations: Designed into the railings were larger cast iron square plates with a stylized diamond design. Each platform had a short canopy in the center of the platform, covering the stairs and a small waiting area. The canopy frame was iron, with arched latticed supports and bracketed rafters, and hipped roofs of corrugated tin.

In mid-1951, the CTA^® formulated plans to economize, streamline and speed up service on the Douglas branch. On December 9, 1951, the CTA^® revised Douglas service with the inauguration of A/B skip-stop service, the conversion of three stations to unmanned "partial service" stations, and the closure of five stations, including Drake. However, a new station was opened one block west at Central Park on the same date to take the place of Drake and, to an extent, Lawndale stations.