DIVISION 1200N 1700W | |||||||||||
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| Former Chicago 'L' rapid transit station | |||||||||||
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Chicago-Metropolitan-Station.png) Typical station on the Metropolitan's double-tracked lines, of which Division was an example | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | West Division Street Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°54′12″N 87°40′14″W / 41.9032°N 87.6705°W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Chicago Transit Authority (1947–1951) Chicago Rapid Transit Company (1924–1947) See text before 1924 | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Logan Square branch | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | Elevated | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | May 6, 1895 | ||||||||||
| Closed | February 25, 1951 | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 1948 | 353,570  17.64% (CTA) | ||||||||||
| Rank | 128 out of 223 | ||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||
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Division was a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L"'s Logan Square branch, one of several branches of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad. Located on Division Street, the station was constructed by the Metropolitan in the early 1890s and began service on May 6, 1895.
The Metropolitan, one of four companies that would build what became the Chicago "L", had many branches to serve Chicago's west side, including the Logan Square branch. With some interruptions and financial issues, it operated these lines until 1911, when it handed operations to Chicago Elevated Railways, and formally merged into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) in 1924. The "L" was taken over by the publicly-held Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in 1947.
A subway had been planned since the late 1930s to reach downtown in a more direct way than the portion of the Logan Square branch where Division stood. This subway was originally intended to supplement the old elevated Logan Square branch, but the CTA sought to simplify its routing and saw no need for the old branch's continued existence. The subway opened on February 25, 1951, with a station of its own on Division Street; the old Division station was then closed along with the others on the affected part of the branch. The station and its trackage remained in non-revenue service until it was demolished and the property sold off in 1964.
Division was typical of the Metropolitan's stations, with two wooden side platforms and a brick station house at street level. For most of its existence it connected with two streetcar routes, one local and one express; the "L" and express streetcar had owl service, while the local streetcar did not.