Published by the Hyde Park H istorical Society Ch icago's Fi nest Transportation Th e Illi nois Centra l Electric
Chicago lake front and ICRR trac ks, fro m Ran dolph Street looking south in the ea rly 1860s.
This article is the first ofa series about the history ofthe coachhouses, townhouses, and six-flats, the railroad is lILinois Certtral Railroad. an integral and evocative part of neighborhood li fe . This great piece of transportation infras tructure has By John G. Allen and Roy G. Benedict no parallel elsewhere in Chicagoland. It has few peers in North America, or indeed in the world. Even as he South Side's great electric railroad celebrates its Metra Electric ce lebrates its 80th anniversary in 2006, Teightieth anniversary in 2006. Metra Electric~r it remains, in its design and physical p lant, at the as many long-time residents still think of it, the pinnacle of achievement in the nation's rai lroad capital. Illi nois Central- is a solid, imposing presence in Public transportation on Chicago's South Side and Hyde Park and the other South Side neighborhoods it south suburbs rook a g reat stri de fo rward in 1926 traverses. With its raised embankment and its latticed when the Illinois Central Railroad (IC) completed steel towers, it has a solid, almost timeless feel ro it. electrification of its commuter service. To this day, th~ Like the Gothic build ings of the University of Chicago physical plant of what is now Metra Electric reflects the or Hyde Park's tree-lined streets with their mansions, vision of an age when the railroads were confident > 8
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""'8 of themselves and the future. Much of that commuter business altogether, but as Cornell was optimism is still palpable in the confidence with helping to pay the commuter deficit, the railroad felt which the railroad strides authoritatively across optimistic enough about the servi ce's prospects to Chicago's Sourh Side. But the Illinois Central Electric extend service from Hyde Park to Woodlawn (i .e., story starts seven decades before the start of electric from 51st St. - tOday's East H yde Park Boulevard - to service, when Chicago was eagerly embracing the 63rd St.) in 1858. At some point between 1862 and emerging technology of railroading as it outgrew its 1869, the IC extended service half a mile further to earlier role as a frontier outpost. Oak Woods Cemetery at 67th St. In subsequent decades, the IC would lead Chicago's Paul Co rn ell and th e Route of the Il linois Ce ntral railroads in the use of specialized cars and locomotives How did this great electric railroad come to be, and for its suburban service. Ini tially, however, the railroad what makes it special even to this day? The Ie's used cars and engines from its regular fleet. Although electrification came about largely because the railroad the IC would eventually become a major consumer of ran along the south lakefront between the Loop and coal from southern Illinois, its first locomotives Hyde Park. When the Ie's route was being planned in burned wood, and refueled at a "wood pile" near where the early 1850s, the railroad sought to reach the 57th St. is today. Chicago River on a more westerly alignment near Halsted St., which would have bypassed Hyde Park The Fi re and the Fair altogether. But the City of Chicago insisted on a It tOok the 1871 Chicago Fire to turn the IC into an lakefront alignment. In an age long before Grant Park, important part of the Chicago transportation picture. Burnham Park, and Lake Shore Drive turned the south Many of those displaced by the fire relocated to the lakefront into a well-manicured landscape, the ci ty's South Side, which was largely untouched by the fire . logic was that a lakefront route would force the railroad In 1871, short!y before the fire, the IC extended to protect the Loop and the south lakefront from service a short distance to Parkside (at 70th St. and storm s and eros ion to safeguard its own investment. Kimbark Ave.). In 1872, after the fire , the IC took the T his forced the railroad to deal with developer Paul bold step of running commuter trains all the way to Cornell , owner of tOday's Hyde Park. Cornell insisted Riverdale, just beyond the large area of Hyde Park that the railroad run what was then called suburban township-which beca~e part of the ci ty in 1889. service to H yde Park "in due course" (althoug h the In 1873 the IC inaugurated Sun day service, both for South Siders who still attended church services 'l'ib<="' ; <"~""""" "'>
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H ad it not been for the World 's Columbian burning steam locomotives. Most, although by no Exposition of 1893, the IC might well have remained a means all of these were commuter trains. The smoke commuter railroad much like the Burlington, (he Rock from these trains led civic groups and the city to press Island, the Chicago & North Western, or the the IC to electrify its operations. In 1919 the IC Milwaukee Road. But the World's Fair propelled the entered into a set of agreements, collectively known as Illinois Central to the fotefront of Chicago's commuter the Lake Front Ordinance, wi th the City and the railroads. T he selection of the Jackson Park site was South Park Commission (subseguently merged into influenced in part by its proximity to the railroad fo r fas t, easy access by fairgoers, and the IC fully rose to the challenge of handling unprecedented levels of ridership. In 1892, in preparation fo r the World's Fair, the IC raised its tracks through Hyde Park and Woodlawn onto their present embankment so as to prevent delays and accidents at the many grade crossings with local streets. The decorative concrete balustrades where the railroad crosses local streets came later; they are part of the "new" Hyde Park bridges, which replaced lower steel structures in the decade befo re electrification. Grade separation work affected the mai n li ne only; the South Chicago and Blue Island branches remain on their original street-leve l alignments to this day. In addition to its already-freguent service, the IC ran special trains to and from the fair-and there were so many of these trains that the railroad built a new set of express cracks for the benefit of fairgoers. "Peak travel day to the Fair was OctOber 9, 1893 ... Counting passengers carried to and from the Fair and World's Fai r crowd and train at Van Buren Stati on, Ch icago, 1893. its regular suburban customers carried that day, the IC the Ch.icago Park Discrict). These agreements clarifi ed bandied 541,312 people. The IC may still hold the certain property ownership matters for the railroad, record for passengers moved in one day on a U.S. and committed the parties to a series of civic suburban railroad. " After the Fai r, commurers improvements-the most important of which was benefited from the exp ress tracks. electrification of the Ies commuter service . The Lake Even before the World's Fai r, IC service to Hyde Park Front Ordinance committed the IC to a strict 21-year was already distinct from most other commuter timetable: suburban service had to be electrified by rai lroads. The IC was Chicago's busiest commuter 1927, freight service north of Roosevelt Road by railroad, the trains had their own separate tracks since 1930, freight service south of Roosevelt Road by 1880, and they used specially-designed steam 1935, and through passenger service within the City locomotives that could operate in either direction with of Chicago by 1940. egual ease. This saved on the land, time, and effort As it turned out, only the suburban electrification needed to turn the engines around on a turntable or a and the electrification of the freight service ... [to} a wye track at the end of the run, and made it more new yatd at 31st Street were ... completed. [ . .. } The economical to tun freguent trains back and forth over Depression and the development of the diesel-electric relatively short distances. The World's Fair specials ... locomotive doomed the freight electrification stOpped exclusively at high-level platforms, so that program, and the passenger electrification was passengers could board and alight without climbing or contingent on ... [a} proposed new lakefront terminal, descending steps in the trai ns' vestibules. The IC which was never built. subsequently extended high-level platforms to all of its South Side and south suburban commuter stations. A Risk-Averse Choice of Voltage Although routine on rapid transit systems like Chicago's Every railroad electrifying its service faced a major "L", high platforms were unusual on commuter railroads decision from the outset: direct current (DC) or and remain so to this day outside the New York area. alternating current (AC). In a DC system , electricity flows in one direction from tbe source through the Th e Dec ision to Electrify train's motors to a "ground" tbrough the running rails. By 1920, there were about 400 commuter, intercity In an AC system, the directional flow of tbe electricity passenger, and freight trains passing through Hyde pulses back and forth at many cycles per second. At the Park on the IC every weekday, all powered by coal- end of World War I, DC was seen as a conservative ~0
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S II I'll III t; 2 0 0 (j Corrections In the article, "Chicago's Finest Transportation: The Dlinois Central Electric," by John G. All en and Roy G. Benedict, the following references were inadvertently omitted: 1. On Page 3, Col. 1, Par. 3. The passage, "Peak travel day ... on a U. S. suburban railroad," is from: Alan R. Lind, From the Lakes to the Gulf: The Illinois Central Story. Park Forest, Dlinois: Transport History Press, 1993, p. 55. 2. On P. 3, Col. 2, Pars. 1 and 2, the section, "a strict 21-year timetable ... which was never built," is from: Alan R. Lind, Limiteds Along the Lakefront: The Illinois Central in Chicago. Park Forest, Illinois: Transport History Press, 1986, P. 57. II ~!~
~~ choice rather than an innovative one. DC systems involved a lower voltage (pressure of transmission) than AC systems, which meant that more electricity had to be produced to do the same work. Furthermore, DC was not as well suited as AC to hauling heavy freight trains. On the other hand, wi th the electric technology of the day, cars and locomotives drawing AC power had to carry heavy transform ers on board to reduce the voltage from the overhead wires to a level low enough for use in the traction motors. The weight of these transformers made AC less clearl y advantageous on an electrification intended p rimarily for commuter service, as opposed to heavy-haul freight service where AC was more often seen as the superior choice. When the IC made the decision to electrify in 1919, Rich Hyerczyk id entifies lichens in Washington Park AC was being used successfully on the New H aven Line and on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Certain operating issues wi th AC technology, however, were Lichen Tours Conclude still several years away from resolution. T he alternating-current systems that the N ew Haven Line Hyde Park lichen enthusiasts finished the survey of and the Pennsylvania Railroad chose were selected these lovely but little known features of local biology largely for their ability to power heavy freight trains. with a tour of Oak Woods Cemetery on Saturday Commuter rail service (al though important) was not morning, June 17. Lichen spec ialist Rich Hyerczyk of the determining factor as it was with the IC, so it is Morton Arboretum was indefatigable as usual, not surprisi ng that the IC and certain other railroads providing complex but acoustically pleasing names for chose direct current in order to avoid some of the patches of color on tree ttunks, walls, and grave technological complications then associated with AC. markers. Another factor probably influencing the choice of The previous Sunday, Rich led a tour of Washington current was the extent of the electrifications that the P ark. Licheneers, who met at the small courtyard just various railroads planned . The Illinois Central and north of the DuSable Museum near Cottage Grove Canadian Northern never planned to extend electrifi Avenue, found 16 species of lichens right there, on the cation beyond their commuter territories, and the wooden benches and cement pavement. Heading west Delaware, Lackawanna & Western's plan for electrifi into adjacent parts of Washington Park, the group cation beyond its commuter district into the Pocono visited the lagoon and spring that feeds it, observing Mountains was tentative at best. For most electrifications trees, looking for wildlife, and of course, lichens. Rich intended mainly for commuter rail, the advantages of climbed a tree for a closer look at li chens in this part AC were more than offset by other factors. [liD of the park, almost all of which g rew on the bark of various trees. Paul Stanford, "Electric Commuting and a Cleaner In early May lichen enthusiasts toured Burnham Hyde Park." Hyde Pa rk Historical Society No. l. Chicago: Park, finding new species on the rocks of Promontory Hyde Park Historical Society, 1980, pp. 14-16. Point, park benches, and tree trunks. Carlton J. Corliss, Main Line of Mid-America: The Story of the Illinois Cen tral. New York : Creative Age Press, 1950. Solving the Mystery. "Chicago Time-Table of 1869." Illinois Central The mysterious object on the cover of the Spring Magazine , June 1930. Newsletter was a crustose lichen, one of two basic Roy Benedict, "Shop Track, " First & Fastest, Autumn forms of lichens found in Hyde Park. Foliose li chens 2002, p. 18. have a more leaf-like appearance. Alan R. Lind , Limiteds Along the Lakefront: The Illinois Central in Chicago. Park Forest, IL: Transport History Press, 1986, p. 55. Alan R. Lind, Limiteds Along the Lakefront: The Illinois Centra I in Ch icago. Park Forest, I L: Transport History Press, 1986, p. 57. Michael Bezilla, Electric Traction on the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1895-1968, University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1980, pp. 68-72. ©rrul1D®lJ@@~ [?@[b!]@®~
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enough to support some of the largest buildings ever Histo ri c Jackson Park co nstructed by man. 200,000 cubic yards of imported topsoil were enriched by tons of manure from the Program a Success stockyards, and then spread about by thousands of horses btought in specifically for fair construction. On Saturday, May 27, 2000 HPHS Board members 100,000 willow trees were planted, and lagoon banks Douglas Anderson and Steve Treffman spoke to a were shored up to construct waterways fo r rowboats. fascinated audience about J ackson Park during its The White City, as the great fai r was called, soon early years. Steve presented a collection of cyanotype became the stuff of legend, a legend that continues photographs from 1892-1893, including one showing today in such best-selling books as The Devil in the Hyde Park Hotel, built in 1888 by Paul Cornell. White City, by Erik Larsen (Vintage Books, 2004). The hotel, which stood at the southwest corner of Lake Steve and Doug's photographs now adorn the walls of HPHS headquarters, and can be seen on Saturday afternoons throughout the summer. FSV
Cornel l and Despres Awards Com ing Up
It's not too soon to consider making recommend ations for the upcoming Paul Cornell Awards and Marion and Leon Despres Preservation Awards. Cornell awards recognize individuals and organizations whose work exemplifies the values, objectives, and heritage of the Soc iety, incl uding education and preserving Hyde Park's documents and artifacts. Despres Awards are given for outstanding Do ug Anderson and Steve Treffman ta lk about Historic Jackson Park achievements in the preservation of Hyde Park's architectural heritage. Park Avenue and 51st Street, was demolished in the Previous winners include, for the Cornell Award, early 1970s as a part of Hyde Park's urban renewal poet Gwendolyn Brooks, International house, and plan. Other photographs showed various views of Stephanie and George Franklin for restoring Nichols 51st, 53rd, 55th, and 59th Streets. Park. Despres winners include Marion and Leon Doug told the story ofJackson Park from its Despres, International House, and the Metropolitan inception in 1969, as part of Chicago's plan for a Apostolic Church. South Park, through its construction under the Nomination forms are now available in the HPHS direction of landscape architects Frederick Law headquarters at 5529 South Lake Park Avenue. Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Doug described the filling in of lagoons and marshes to construct boat launches PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT ...... , and a reflecting pool. Olmsted had hoped for a Venetian canal, but after the disastrous fire of October, 1871, Chicago had no funds available for the frivoli ties of a major park. J1yJe Park on the Cusp In 1889, Chicago vied with New York City to be selected as the si te for the World's Columbian of Change, 1892-1893 Exposition, a great fair to celebrate the arrival of SUMMER 2006 Christopher Columbus in the New World. New Yorkers, believing their city a shoo-in for the The construction of the Columbian World's Fair prestigious fair, were stunned when Chicago, a "crime of 1893 dramatically facilitated the ridden backwater stinking of wild onions and transformation of Hyde Park from suburban stockyards" was chosen. haven to urban community. Our current summer Doug described the extraordinary measures taken by long exhibit displays views of Hyde Park, J ackson Olmsted and Daniel Burnham, chief of construction, Park and the Fair just as that change began. to convert the swales and sand ridges into land stable ......
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S .. III m c ~ 0 0 Ii G ~~ Students Honored at Book about Earl Dickerson History Fa ir now ava ilable
In May, HPHS President Carol Bradford awarded At last the book, Earl B. Di{kerson: A Voice for three students who partic ipated in the Chicago Metro Freedom and Equality, by Robert Blakely with Marcus Histoty Fair with checks for the best project relating Shepard, has been published and the H yde Park to Hyde Park Township HistOry. The students, Catie Historical Society can take some credit. Anderson, David Badesch, and Jeremy Custer The book began as an oral history by Robert Blakely produced a documentary, Taking a Stand for who was captivated by Dickerson in a two-hour Integration: conversation he had with him and became determined Trumbull Park to write a book about him. It was finished, but un Homes. They published when Blakely died, and was ushered through expressed a an incredible maze of comp lications toward publication willingness to by his widow, HPHS Board member Alta Blakely. make a copy of Northwestern University Press has p ublished the their documentary book as part of the series "Chicago Lives", which DVD for the includes the recent memoirs of Len Despres, Truman Society'S Gibson and Timuel Black. It is headquarters. hardbound and quite beautiful. A highlight of Dickerson, a truly monumental the program was figure, was nearly fo rgotten HPHS President Caroi Bradford presents the presentation of d uring the militant 1960's . This che cks to Chicago Metro History Fai r the Despres Prize is his first biography but should part ic ipa nts David Ba desch and Catie for Political not be the last. Hyde Park Anderson. Co-winner Jeremy Custer is not in the photograph. History. Len Historical Society members Despres was might take a tiny bit of pride in > a:: present and personally autog raphecf copies of his new a:: the'fact that they were there, or w book, which we re given to these students and other ':'l somewhere near, at its inception. OJ prizewinners. Angell Campbell, a first-year teacher at :; At the May meeting of the the Hyde Park Career Academy, received the Arthur ~ Board of the Hyde Park Andersen Rookie Teacher Award for new teachers who ~ . ~ H istorical Society, Alta Blakely encourage their students to participate in the Fair. ~ ___ presented the Board with a copy The Society hopes to hold a showing of students' c.. Alta Blake ly with Earl B. of the book. ~r. Blakely, who projects about Hyde Park at a future date. FSV Di ckerson book, written passed away In 1994, left a by her husband, Robert completed manuscript about Bla kely Mr. Dickerson. Since then, Alta heroically devoted a large portion of her life to finding Save the date! ------_ a publisher for that manuscript. Her efforts were crowned with a success that honors Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Blakely and certainly her own efforts. Alta has been a long-time loyal and productive member ofOut Society World fa±r Tour and its Board and she now honors us with this gift. The inscription she wrote in the book she gave to Douglas Anderson will host <:I spec ial tour the Society reads: of the si te of the Wor ld's Columbian Expos ition for HPHS members on To the Hyde Park Historical Society See what you have wrought! 1983-2006 Sunday, July 30, 2006. (Signed) Alta Blakely The tour wil l begin at 1 :30 PM at the Darrow Bridge in Jackson Park , Jay Mulberry and Steve Treffman contributed to and will last until 3:30. this article. Note: The Summer, 2005 edition of Hyde Park History contaim a synopsis ofthis book.
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museum opened in 1933, one year after his death. Peter Ascoli ta lks about Rosenwald first met Booker T. Washington in 1911, when Washington invited him to visit Tuskegee Julius Rosenwald Institute in Alabama. H e felt that the two had a similar By Carol Bradford philosophy of hard work and group effort to advance opportunities for those outside the "mainstream" of Nearly 50 people filled the HPHS headquarters on society at the time, Initially, Rosenwald contributed to June 17 to hear Peter Ascoli talk about his grandfather, Tuskegee Institute itself, and other private schools for the noted businessman and philanthropist, Julius African Americans. But when Washington pointed out Rosenwald. For the local audience, he focused on the extreme lack of educational resources for African Rosenwald's Hyde Park activities. He was born in Americans in the rural areas of southern states at the Springfield, IL to German Jewish parents. As a young time, he began to give money for the construction of man, he got into the men's clothing business, which led public schools throughout the region. These are known to an eventual meeting with Richard Sears. When, in as Rosenwald Schools. By the time of his death in 1932, the 1890s, Mr. Roebuck wanted out of the Sears this collaboration had resulted in the construction of Roebuck Company, Rosenwald bought a one-quarter 5,357 schools and other institutions for African- interest for $37,500. Under his guidance and leadership, the company grew dramatically. A key to its'success was the development of an effi cient distribution system, operated out of the company's west side headquarters at Arthington and Homan Avenues. Rosenwald initiated the consttuction of that campus, most of which still stands today. The original Sears Tower at 900 S. Homan, is a 14-story structure with an Italianate crown. (It is currently being marketed by its investor owners for redevelopment as office or residential condominiums.) Concern for company employees was another factor in the success of the company. The campus included a library, YMCA, and dining room. He was among the fi rst to institute profit-sharing for all employees. Rosenwald's charitable giving began about 1900, Pete r Asc oli Signs books about his gran dfather, Jul ius Rosenwald influenced by Rabbi Emil Hirsch ofSinai Americans in 15 southern states. Man y of the Rosenwald Congregation. Among the fi rst recipients were Michael Schools are now on the watch list of the National Trust Reese Hospital, various Jewi sh charities, and the for Historic Preservation. Some are al ready being University of Chicago, which was less than 20 years old restored and put to a variety of public uses. at the time. In particular, he funded the Department of Other philanthropic activities in Chicago for African Geography and Geology, including the hall which bears Americans included the Michigan Boulevard Gardens his name. According to Ascoli, Rosenwald didn't want apartment complex (commonly known at the Rosenwald anything to be named for him, but the University Apartments) at 47th Street and Michigan Avenue; and slipped this one in while he was traveling abroad, and the recently refurbished Wabash YMCA, built in 1913. upon his return it was too late to change it. He was The latter was just one of many YMCAs for African instrumental in bringing the School of Civics and Americans which he funded throughout the country. Philanthropy into the University, where it was then Over the years, Rosenwald relied on various people named the School of Social Service Administration. He to advise him on his giving. In addition to Rabbi made a lead gift of $500,000 to establish the University's Hirsch, among the most noted were Jane Addams, medical school, and induced friends, such as Mr. Eckhart Judge J LIlian W. Mack, and Booker T. Washington. to also support the university. He also contributed 40% During his time, he was on the cutting edge of of the COSt of building Burton-Judson Courts. progressive philanthropy, with other interests including Among his best known efforts is the Museum of making health care affordable, and giving m ini -grants Science and Industry. H e first got the idea for such a to artists and small business people. Among the latter museum when he visited a famous German museum. recipients were Ralph Ellison (while writing The He engaged in long and complex negotiations with Invisible Man), Marian Anderson, Ralph Bunche, and the South Park Commissioners, the state legislature, many others, He established a charitable fu nd, with and city officials, among others. All told, the the stipulation that all assets be distributed within 25 Rosenwald family gave $11 million for the years of his death. When the fund ended, he and his establishment of the MSI. The first portions of the estate had given away $63 million. c:mJ
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This Newsletter is published by the IJyJe Park lIisloriml Soddy Hyde Park Historical Society, a not-for COLLECT ING AND PRESERVING HYDE PARK'S HISTORY profit organization founded in 1975 to
Time for you to join up or renew? record, preserve, and promote public Fill out the form below and return it to: interest in th e history of Hyde Park.
The lJyde Park 111slorical Sodely Its headquarters, located in an 1893 5529 S. Lake Park Avenue • Chicago, IL 60637 ~...... restored cable car station at 5529 S. Enclosed is my __ new __ renewal membership Lake Park Avenue, houses local exhibits. in the Hyde Park Historical Society. It is open to the public on Saturdays
and Sundays from 2 until 4pm. --Student $15 __ Sponsor $50 __ Member $25 __ Benefactor $100 Web site: hydeparkhistory.org Name ______Telephone: HY3-1893 President: Carol Bradford Address ______Editor: Frances S. Va ndervoort Contributing Editor: Stephen Treffman Zip Designer: Nickie Sage