Kenton (4600W/2200S)
Cermak Road, one block west of Kilbourn Avenue, North Lawndale

Service Notes:

Douglas Line

Quick Facts:

Address: TBD
Established: May 22, 1907
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Douglas Park branch
Previous Names: 46th Avenue
Skip-Stop Type: n/a
Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

History:

The 46th Avenue station -- later renamed Kenton -- was the temporary terminal of a short extension of the Douglas Park branch westward from 40th Avenue. Kenton is at the city limits and service to this location represented the fulfillment of the Metropolitan Elevated's original plan for the Douglas Park branch to reach the western edge of the city. Kenton was the terminal for just seven months and became a through-station when the Douglas Park branch was further extended to 48th Avenue later in 1907.

The Kenton station was located a short walk from the massive Hawthorn Works of the Western Electric Company, which provided a major source of passenger traffic for the "L" company.

Kenton station was somewhat unusual in that Kenton Avenue didn't actually intersect with the Douglas Park branch. In fact, Kenton Avenue doesn't exist in this area at all, with the Belt Railway situated on the alignment (4600 West) that is otherwise be used by the street elsewhere in Chicago. Therefore, the station is named for a street that theoretically would be there but actually wasn't.

Kenton station was likely similar to other at-grade stations on the Douglas Park branch, with a small wood frame clapboard peaked-roof station house situated between the tracks facing the street with a back entrance onto a short island platform. Being that Kenton Avenue did not intersect with the Douglas Park right-of-way, access to the station was gained through a walkway from Cermak Road through private property to the station a half-block north of Cermak.

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 Kenton.