Chicago's Last Great Railway Terminal: The Forgotten Chicago & North Western - IT'S HISTORY

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thanks to Established Titles for sponsoring today's video. Go to establishedtitles.com/Itshistory to get 10% off today.

[@ByzantineCalvinist]

When it was announced that the building was to be demolished, I took the train downtown Chicago and took numerous photographs of the station's exterior and interior. This was in early 1984. I understand that it was built so well that it was not easy to destroy. There used to be a quite nice restaurant called the Quarterdeck inside the station. My parents took me to dinner there in 1969 just before we saw "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" at the nearby Civic Theatre in the Lyric Opera building. A grade eight graduation gift.

[@emu5088]

Would love to see your pictures! Any chance you could upload them?

[@kevb3047]

There's a Quarterback sign at 15:17

[@ByzantineCalvinist]

@@kevb3047 oh, yes! I see it. Brings back memories.

[@unityostara6380]

I was only 3 years old visiting there but I remember it. Coming from a C&NW family, it was a cathedral.

[@inr63]

I’m a native Chicagoan, born in ‘92 and still here. Thanks for sharing your story - would love it if you shared your photos of the building before it was demolished!

[@anthonyellis987]

Just like New York's Penn Station, it wasn't 'modern' enough. The building that replaced it is a dull glass and metal monstrosity with no character. Thank goodness they saved the power house.

[@Cheeseatingjunglista]

To see what CAN be done with an old station, already marvelous but almost buried as you approach say from the Prada, beautiful wide avenue flanked with trees, parks and superb buildings you reach a very large roundabout, with buildings to the left huge and imposing, with massive statues and facing them well mainly air but a roof at the bottom of you view. The land falls away quickly here, the natural formation, so the railway stations impressive facade stares at an impressive stone wall. Once your outside it though, it is the very wonderful Estación de tren Puerta de Atocha - the have retained all the wonderful Spanish flair the stone, tile and brickwork as exquisite but where once were tracks, there is now a tropical garden - the roof, M. Eiffel, of Tower fame, was a Consulting Engineer for the ironwork and the roof is truly stunning - this place is to trains what Changi in Singapore is to planes, I have been lucky enough to see both a few times. Its possible, in both of them, to forget the purpose of your being there - dont forget its still a great place to catch a train!!

[@Will_RM]

I'm confused, where Penn Station (street level) was, you have Madison Square Garden, which is a round concrete structure, not a glass and metal building. I also never heard that it was torn down because it wasn't "modern enough". Penn Station's tracks and platforms still exist as they were built, only the grand building above the tracks and platforms was destroyed.

[@ostrich67]

The Pennsylvania Railroad was nearing bankruptcy and was diversifying into real estate because it's passenger rail service hadn't turned a profit since the end of WWII. Penn Station's tracks are still under Madison Square Garden; PRR sold the air rights over them. Check out the Moynahan Train Hall, the expansion of Penn Station that recaptures some of the grandeur of the original station.

[@morganangel340]

@@Will_RM the station is still there... but... Yale professor Vincent Scully, Jr. told the New York Times in 2012, “One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat.”

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

@@ostrich67 I remember Penn Station before its demolition during the 60s. Moynihan Station does not capture the beaux arte grandeur of the original Penn Station. Moynihan serves Amtrak and not commuter lines. The original Penn Station sat on two blocks, which are now occupied by MSG, One Penn, and another office tower on 7th.

[@IntriguedLioness]

I've lived in some of the most historic, beautiful and vibrant cities on this planet, but Chicago will always have a place in my heart! Learning what history I did when I was an undergrad I always appreciated the architecture and the city's grid layout more than the chaos of lower Manhattan, Paris, Osaka etc. After that great fire it was time to start over and the beautiful grid was implemented and city planners brought in world class architects. Don't forget in the years between 1893 and 1933 when Chicago hosted remarkable worlds fairs, aesthetic and technology allowed for an entirely new type of construction and the skyscraper was born.. in Chicago !! Great video on even more Chicago history 👏👌👍🏻 ! This was indeed the era of Great Chicago growth!

[@cathyt502]

For me, it was a fun, wonderful city to grow up in. Being a child in the 60s, esp. the huge snow storm of '67 and a teenager in the 70s was a blast; so many beach days, Riverview, rock concerts and of course, the lakefront, biking our park system and boulevards. I grew up near what is now called Logan Square and close to Humboldt Park. I took my own sons to that park as children, but wouldn't go there at night now. I still live here....so many changes and inflation is unreal. I like that I can walk or bus anywhere... esp. being older. Hopefully I can still ride my retro bike this summer :)

[@robertdipaola3447]

A great city being ruined by mayor Beetlejuice Lorrie lightbrain

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

What you deem as "chaos," in lower Manhattan, I see as interesting, and a counter point to the grid above 14th street. Its like those folks who agree with Hausmann's wholesale destruction of large sections of historic Paris in order to tidy up the city. While this can be appreciated for practical reasons, it robbed the city of much of its old character. One wonders how Chicago would appear in our pesent age had there been no massive fire.

[@WAL_DC-6B]

I was employed by the C&NW through nearly all the 1980s and into the early 90s. I worked in the engineering department (maintenance of way) and consequently I sometimes worked in the offices in the basement of the old terminal building. Yeah, I miss the old station. It had an impressive head house with a huge interior ceiling. That said, I knew a lot of employees of the North Western who at the time were glad to see the demolition of this massive railroad passenger station. I understand some people referred to the replacement station as "the juke box" which seems to fit its architecture. Good story on the old depot and thanks for sharing!

[@intercityrailpal]

Some employees had inside information on the stock and became millionaires. North Western did not share it with the shareholders. Just top management . It only had 3 shares that could vote! The passenger service which had a little profit at the time was sold to RTA a state operation C&NW lobbied to form and take over! The money was used to build into the coal fields of Wyoming. C&NW was last to join RTA....METRA today . It joined on it's terms .

[@yiffytimes]

You missed something part of the terminal is featured in the film "Silver Streak" in fact if you look to the right as the train rushes in you see a structure looks like it was built over a track. That was a passage built by the CTA as a shortcut for passengers. In fact that stop at the end out the track as that what looks like a mirror or glass it crashes through was at the old CNW terminal

[@stephenspilker9334]

i wish we still had all this passenger traffic today. i have been in many old train stations over the years and i love all these old depot's that have been restored.

[@silendt]

Alright, say it with me: “OH-gull-vee”

[@TimTarafas]

Came here to say this. Every video on Chicago, he says something incorrectly.

[@denali9449]

I had the pleasure of commuting through the C&NW terminal many thousands of time in the 70's. As a frustrated architect turned structural engineer every walk through the waiting areas and out to the loading platforms reminded me of the art our Chicago buildings contained. The failure of the building to receive historic status was simple Chicago politics. One must ask why Union Station which has spent the majority of its life in various states of disrepair has been spared the demolition ball? The answer, Chicago politics.

[@ilahildasissac1943]

I patronized the station as a kid.

[@huntrrams]

Totally agree

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

Lived in Chicago for 30 years, and your take could not be more correct. This beautiful station was demolished in order to be replaced by the post modern tower designed by the late Helmut Jahn. His tower is in no way a worthwhile successor to the former station.

[@hungrysoles]

It's wonderful you document these lost architectural masterpieces. Maybe you can do videos on the lost Dearborn , LaSalle Street and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Stations. Also one on the remarkable Auditorium and Rookery Buildings that are still with us.

[@davidbudka1298]

Probably already mentioned, the CB&Q used Chicago Union Station. In 1955 the Chicago Northwestern lost the trains of the Overland Route (UP Cities Trains) to the Milwaukee Road.

[@intercityrailpal]

It wanted to downgrade and rip up the second track on the California mainline to Omaha. It even sold property it did not own. Stole fuel from Metra ....RTA filled up freight units at the state passenger pumps. Nothing done to management of course.

[@TheLaw22]

I love this channel so much, as a firefighter, it is awesome learning different building constructions as it is a very important skill in my job to have. I would love it if this channel would do a historic fire building. Ex, The Cold Storage, and Warehouse (Worcester 6.) There is some great information out there about this infamous day in fire service history. The building was 93 years old at the time of the fire.

[@aznboy88]

This was a great history lesson. I work in the Citicorp building, now called the Accenture building, which sits atop Ogilvie.

[@Jpkjr52]

There are some photos of Chicago Union Station in this video.

[@intercityrailpal]

Yes regular train riders will see that. There were 5 massive stations in Chicago. Taxed to build airports and highways.

[@dominicwroblewski5832]

Please note that a few photos of the interior of the waiting room were in fact those of the Chicago Union Station as noted on the photographs themselves.

[@erbewayne6868]

I recognized the shots also as I worked in the building for 16 years including the time of the restaurant fire.

[@uhlijohn]

I believe the CNW's Wells St. station was on the EAST side of the Chicago river....that is why they had to build a new one on the West side, the Madison St. station. In order to access Wells St. station trains from Geneva Sub. had to cross a one track swing or lift bridge causing delays.

[@mar4kl]

I loved this. I moved to Chicago about 10 years after the original Northwestern Station was replaced by the Ogilvie Transportation Center / Citicorp Center building, but I used to take trains in and out of the latter frequently when I worked in downtown Chicago. One part you missed that might make for an interesting follow-up video is that in addition to the powerhouse, there's another piece of the original station that didn't get knocked down, at least not completely. That's the former train shed. Originally located beneath the approach tracks (presumably there were spurs leading into it) and on the north side of Washington Street, the building, now numbered 131 N Clinton Street, houses a pedestrian corridor between Canal and Clinton Streets, the Chicago French Market (which is an indoor collection of independent restaurants serving all kinds of fare) and - best of all, to me - original "back entrance" staircases leading up from the pedestrian corridor to the train platforms. Those staircases are still used by passengers who have their Metra passes in hand already and don't need to visit the ticket windows.

[@silendt]

Yesss! Thank you, I was thinking the same thing. Love both of those areas.

[@huntrrams]

Yesss! I was about to comment the same thing!

[@strobx1]

The C&O/B&O ran it's last passenger train(Pere Marquette) B&O Capital LTD out of there on 4-30-1971.

[@jasonmoors1191]

Numerous Jack Delano,WWII era,images sprinkled throughout this presentation--somebody wasn't paying attention to station interiors as there are several shots of Chicago Union Station

[@LFGibson]

Ogilvie is said with a long O. 😂 The locals (and Metra conductors) pronounce it “next stop, O-Gul-Vee station” 😊 great presentation and story telling, as always! A++

[@GreenJeep1998]

My Dad had worked for C&NW for a couple decades Including the time period that the old station was torn down and Ogilvie was build and in the railroad industry until the early “teens”……….he was in full agreement on the “Tacky Airport” comment last night.

[@craigschultz4411]

I would love to see you cover the Red Car trolley of Los Angeles, the remaining tunnels and bridges, and the underground station hidden downtown.

[@patrickf.4440]

Thanks much for this and other videos you make. I miss that yellow color of the C&NW trains. It is nice to go up the Union Pacific North Metra line and see some of the older remaining suburban stations. I mostly remember the downtown station from when I drove a taxi around 1970 and going into the interior cab station area. And yes, the new Ogilvie station is certainly "utilitarian," but not necessarily in a good way. Thanks again. Pat, in Chicago

[@zippanova]

Great content as always! You should really consider proof-reading your scripts and researching pronunciations so your videos can really shine! Keep it up!

[@flygirlfly]

@ :54 Repeat after me: OGILVIE = "OH-GIL-VEE" Not "ogglvee", or whatever the garbled mess your mispronunciation .

[@337RMartin]

Lol I was going to say the same thing

[@xxgodxxist]

That really threw me off. I thought there was a hidden train station in Chicago with how that was said 😂.

[@nathanialstoll6827]

I died when I heard it.

[@raritania7581]

Oggieville

[@ritaloy8338]

I visited the Chicago and Northwestern Train Depot in 1975. It was a really nice.

[@Bob.W.]

Couldn't you find a C&NW loco for the thumbnail?

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

Would just like to point this out- The train in the thumbnail is from the Chicago Burlington and Quincy, which only served Union Station, not Dearborn or Northwestern.

[@ITSHISTORY]

Consider it an omen for videos to come:)

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

@@ITSHISTORY epic

[@KameraShy]

You are correct. Part of the old Union Station was torn down for a high-rise but the waiting room building was saved and was just refurbished.

[@blogauthor3375]

you beat me to this note. The Zepher is in the Museum of Science and Industry.

[@toms776]

Maybe you would consider sometime speaking to two Chicago west side movie palaces...the Paradise and the Marbro and their initial rivalry in that neighborhood and their eventual demise. Just a suggestion. Thanks!

[@Yak352]

Illinois...the s is silent! Come on!

[@Yak352]

@M.J.G. yes, in the very first few minutes he says it.

[@TheopolisQSmith]

I was in it in 1969 a couple of times. Very impressive building.

[@trainliker100]

At 15:07 is a good photo of how it originally looked inside the train shed. They had to cut the supports and insert about 4 feet to raise the train shed roof to fit the tall Bi-level cars.

[@Thunder_6278]

I remember the old 'Northwestern' station as a child. I t was a little dirty, but it had grandeur. I remember the green overhead panels making everything a shade of green, it was cool. Torn it down for progress.

[@0fficialdregs]

loving your series on the chicago lost buildings

[@marvwatkins7029]

I worked nearby and used it often.

[@luckychucky3426]

As a former employee a conductor of 43 years I learned a lot today that I didn't know before late at night the crew would stay downtown in the depot the the old Depot and we would play ball softball and we would take turns throwing a ball up in the air and seeing if we could hit the ceiling we got pretty good at it this was late at night when nobody else was around we had a ball I said today now it's been modernized and Ogle V center now it's called I guess but the old station just had something going for it we used to get up on the roof and look at Chicago late at night then I got a lot of seniority when I finally did retire I was number two I never thought I'd miss it but I do is something about that old structure the new structure is absolutely beautiful and gorgeous I remember when I first hired out they used to have barber shops down below they took those out now there's all kinds of vending machines and eating places I sure miss it thank you for making this video I was thrilled to watch it absolutely thrilled thank you from the bottom of my heart thank you I have a lot of great memories all the guys that I work with all the engineers and the fireman thank you

[@Brianrockrailfan]

@IT'S History please made a video of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad

[@trainliker100]

I grew up in nearby Oak Park and often rode the Lake Street L to Clinton Street to hang around and watch trains at that station. I would walk down Clinton and go up some stairs in the train shed section to get up to the track level where there was a regular door you could open to get into the shed area. Voila, you emerged next to the westernmost track. Eventually, I would go through some of the large doors to the head house to walk around the station interior. Well, after growing up and moving away, I was visiting Chicago once and did the same thing. But when I tried to enter the head house, those large doors were no longer there. There were a number of businesses, newsstands, and such along the wall where the doors once were. It was confusing. I figured I would just go outside to the street and walk around and enter the head house elsewhere. When I tried that, I saw a giant HOLE IN THE GROUND where the head house had been. That's how I found out about its demise. Must have been circa 1984.

[@vanlevy2008]

The name of the replacement terminal is the Ogilvie Transportation Center. If you go there, it is worth visiting the French Market reachable by stairs on the train concourse, or one block north on Canal and Clinton from the main entrance. Thanks for the informative video.

[@trainliker100]

What stands there now is the "Ogilvie Transporation Center". But it does have one remnant from the original station and that is the huge four-sided Elgin clock that was inside the original C&NW station head house.

[@ericn3519]

The powerhouse has my favorite Tavern in Chicago. It's a great place to relax while you wait for your next train. I never knew what the building was until I saw this video. Thanks!

[@HORSEYANIME2024]

Pls do more videos on forgotten Chicago landmarks and historic mansions

[@marvwatkins7029]

Love the way he mispronounces Oglvie.

[@unityostara6380]

You missed out the era the Chicago and Northwestern was employed owned and the last Granger road standing.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

"its not modern looking so we need to demolish it" -Chicago

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

The more likely one is; This building, with its masonry and crafted detail, is too difficult to clean and maintain. Let's tear it down and replace it with unrelenting plates of glass and aluminum panels.

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

@@LUIS-ox1bv *cough* ogilvie transportation center *cough*

[@genevarailfan3909]

@@LUIS-ox1bv Or even more likely "We could make more money off of this building if it were a skyscraper instead." At least OTC is still a very good train station.

[@joestendel1111]

The food court in oglvie is a great place to meet people tbh

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thanks to Established Titles for sponsoring today's video. Go to establishedtitles.com/Itshistory to get 10% off today.

[@nsheridan37]

Love your content, one of my favorite subscriptions on YT!

[@christopherlucy1772]

The Boston public Library &Grand Central Terminal also use Gustavino Tiles in their interiors..the Later was almost razed...

[@DOLRED]

US Railroad backs were to the wall by 1965 thanks to transportation evolution. Railroad land and "Air Rights" were a "Cash Cow" and so the buildings went. The one station of 6 still intact in Chicago downtown is the Santa Fe-Dearborn Station at Polk & Dearborn (You won't find any track there). The other station which went in the 1980s (Nearby) was Rock Island Terminal. The "Rock" was shown in the Hitchcock movie "North By Northwest" because the NYCRR used that station for its trains kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5KcoZWKqdVoopY. The Rock even had an "EL" stop at its front door--LaSalle St (Better than the rest). The EL stop was later moved slightly east to align with LaSalle St, as much as the city was mocking the demise of the old terminal building!!?

[@jaylew8408]

Sadly last month that Wm J Cassidy tire building is being stripped and the signs are gone

[@erbewayne6868]

Saw that signage many times coming out of CUS making to swing west along the racetrack towards Western avenue.

[@jamesholt7612]

Awesome video my friend. I love everything history.

[@Neosoul_prima]

Growing up in Chicago, I always said olgolvie station looked so weird! Union station looks so angelic! Then crossing the street to olgolvie was like “where’s the rest of it” lol! Modern architecture isn’t all that cute lol

[@jontooke846]

I love your stories of history thanks so much

[@johnpauljones9244]

At least we'll always have the smoke stacks! 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for that. I haven't laughed all day.

[@elultimo102]

I wondered why they didn't preserve and build around the main interior space. Like modern railroad engines, new station buildings have no soul. They likely won't stand as long as the original.

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

I got engaged to da city after meeting up at Union Station. Miss it n home.

[@Maaaatttttt]

That's some mysterious stuff

[@Mr.E723]

At least the Great Hall at Union Station is preserved

[@T.C.C.797]

That was quite interesting and impressive but wouldn't mind seeing a video about Edward hospital in Naperville Illinois

[@tomv4408]

I haven't forgotten NW Station!

[@Blatsen]

I hate when beautiful old buildings are demolished and replaced with plain, ugly “modern” buildings. I also hate that architectural beauty seems to be relegated to old buildings and that conformity to plainness and ugliness seems to dominate post World War II buildings. The powers that be need to start designing and building beautiful buildings again. The is no reason that all newer buildings have to be plain, ugly glass, metal, and concrete eyesores. The demolition of this beautiful old train station in Chicago reminds me of how just relatively recently Alton, IL tore down their perfectly fine and functional historic train station and replaced it with a “modern” one designed in the obligatory plain, ugly style that all newer buildings seem to conform to.

[@RailPreserver2K]

I hate to say it but the historic register status doesn't protect the building or structure forever because there's been numerous examples that were listed but then later torn down.

[@tammygouletschrader8785]

Please do a video of Union and ogilvie stations as well as some of the now closed stations on the cta redline like Washington

[@Dkrpan59]

Another CNW station still stands in Racine Wis beautiful building sitting empty

[@chiliredDX]

Please do Richmond VA Atlantic Coast line station please

[@russellhltn1396]

I suspect the reason the station couldn't be saved is all the tracks leading to it. I would have been prohibitively expensive to reroute them to a replacement terminal located somewhere else. The tracks demanded that a new station stand where the old one was. The power station didn't have any such problem, so it was saved.

[@janeway4eva]

You know those lord and lady titles are not even worth the paper they are printed on

[@joevideo8023]

While you voice over "A preceident throughout chicago" you are showing a pic of Lower Manhattan. Why?

[@koffee_blakk123]

Mudflood. How did they build those huge building during horse and buggy time?

[@casbrowne9055]

I would love to see a video on Newark Penn Station

[@marvwatkins7029]

@ 5:00: he even mispronounces Illinois: he clearly isn't from there.

[@Robbi496]

Why the pix of Union Station??

[@scottnyc6572]

How can’t I be reminded of New York’s original Pennsylvania Station.Most large old railway stations operated on their own power.Grand Central Station is capable of operating on its own power generation.As for the stations replacing the old its not anything like the former.Seem self sustainability was in older infrastructure more than any newly built.

[@rolandwilliams1228]

I hate it when non-Chicagoians don't do there research on simple Chicago terms. Ogilvie (Oh-Gull-V)

[@angusrumplemeyer1791]

I've been all though Kenyon College many many times. That place has a very disturbing past.

[@salsheikh4508]

Love your videos Sir.

[@fridgemagnet9831]

So sad to that it's gone.

[@mikeseier4449]

As usual,we as Americans demolish our old historic buildings..what a shame; as the likes of them will never be built again.

[@brendakrieger7000]

Very impressive!

[@ohdang8515]

Oh-Gil-vee

[@KameraShy]

I commuted through the CNW station from 1980 until it was torn down. The "new" station building was named after a failed governor who was responsible for the state income tax and was defeated for re-election after one term.

[@davidkimmel4216]

Thanks

[@MrCfredrickson]

I love your videos. However you mispronounce many names. As a Chicago native it bugs me.

[@asn413]

I just don't understand some peoples' pov. they have no concept of something being precious or special, even people. A farmer might have a 1700s barn and rear it down for a new one. Im an artist, my sister was fixing to throw out the artworks i made in college! Nothing has weight to some folks! I'm not saying people have to be tied to objects, but come on! Think! There are things worth saving!

[@andrewscolari5724]

Can you do Philadelphia's Reading Terminal next?

[@erbewayne6868]

CNW - cheap and nothing wasted.

[@xr6lad]

Imagine being such a backward country you were still demolishing grand buildings like this as recently as the mid 1980’s.

[@davidtsohla259]

Can you please make a video about luxury victorian houses in USA

[@principalmcvicker6530]

Seems like he does only very specific places. Seems like a good video idea though

[@davidtsohla259]

Carson Mansion

[@jeffvoitek4392]

How about luxury hamster enclosures?

[@davidtsohla259]

Ha Ha awkward joke

[@wettale]

Lol it took me awhile to pronounce olgilvy correctly too

[@charlesbradley3663]

I like the smokestack, the Victorian it replaced, & the 1980s Renaissance skyscraper better than the demolished station, which, c’mon, was no Penn Station. Cool video & content generally, even if I’m a bit contrarian. 🤙

[@glennso47]

You mispronounced “Illinois “. The “S” at the end of the name is silent.

[@ghoffmann821]

OH-gull-vee

[@n_v9386]

Ironic that the Penn Station power/service station was also saved....for now. They are planning to raze it too I believe.

[@scottnyc6572]

Seems everything illogical wins out these upside down days

[@rwulfsberg]

What a hodgepodge of pictures, many of which have nothing to do with the station. By the way, the plural of brother-in-law is brothers-in-law.

[@paulj6756]

Especially the one showing Amtrak.

[@freetolook3727]

At roughly $10 million dollars per year in existence ($717million in today's money), it seems like a bargain.😂

[@marvwatkins7029]

We're supposed to mourn it?

[@georgiesinclair6951]

Not an architecturally significant building...

[@marvwatkins7029]

He keeps showing pictures of other rr's and stations (ex: CUS). That's very sloppy, lazy, and careless.

[@HappyMuffin]

You might want to google how to pronounce Ogilvie. It definitely isn’t “Oggieville” and you have made this mistake more than once.