Roosevelt (1700W/1200S)
Roosevelt Road and Paulina Street, Near West Side

Service Notes:

Douglas Line

Quick Facts:

Address: 1710 W. Roosevelt Road
Established: April 28, 1896
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Douglas Park branch
Previous Names: none
Skip-Stop Type: "Partial Service" station
Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

History:

Roosevelt station was opened in 1896 as part of the initial stretch of the Met's Douglas Park branch.

Roosevelt station resembled many of those on the Douglas Park branch, with a largely rectangular building with a bay extending approximately five feet in front of the building and another only about two feet from the rear leading to the platform stairs. The one-story headhouse situated beneath the elevated tracks on the north side of Roosevelt Road employed an unusual vernacular form with influences from the Craftsman and even Prairie School styles. The exterior walls were clad in dark red/brown brick with a rusticated stone base lined the bottom of the wall at ground level, while the corners had stone quoins. The Craftsman influences came through in the wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafters and the battered half-timbered "X" treatment over the front entrance.

Most likely, the interior was an open space with a ticket agent's booth built into one corner of the room. The floors were wooden and the walls were probably plaster with decorative wood moldings and chair rail paneling.

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.

As part of the plan to economize, streamline and speed up service on the Douglas branch, the CTA proposed in mid-1951 to close 20 stations and institute A/B skip-stop service. After consultation with city transit engineers and local elected officials, the CTA modified their plan to retain a few of the stations proposed for closure, although with limited service. On December 9, 1951, the CTA revised Douglas service with the inauguration of A/B skip-stop service, the closure of five stations, and the conversion of three more to unmanned "partial service" stations -- Roosevelt, Wood, and Douglas Park. The "partial service" stations were unmanned, with no ticket agent on duty at any time, and entrance only through token-operated turnstiles. Trains stopped at "partial service" stations approximately every 15 minutes during Monday-Friday rush periods and about every 30 minutes at other times. Trains serving these stations did not stop at California, 18th and Polk.

Roosevelt's status as a "partial service" station was short-lived, unjustified by the extremely low entering traffic counts. The Roosevelt and Douglas Park "partial service" stations were closed on May 3, 1952.