Bloomingdale Line
Encyclopedia
The Bloomingdale Line is a 2.7 miles (4.3 km) elevated railroad running east-west on the northwest side of Chicago
that the city of Chicago has proposed to convert into a greenway
. The right-of-way passes through the community areas Logan Square
, Humboldt Park
and West Town
.
. It was soon absorbed by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway (also known as the Milwaukee Road), first via a 999-year lease in 1880 and later with a fee simple deed conveyance to the same in 1900. As a result of mergers and acquisitions, it became part of the Soo Line Railroad
, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway
, which currently owns the right-of-way.
The railroad was elevated approximately twenty feet in the 1910s as result of a city ordinance aimed at reducing pedestrian fatalities at grade crossings. The line had been a street running
railway within Bloomingdale Avenue, an east-west street running at 1800 north on Chicago's grid; creating the embankment reduced Bloomingdale Avenue's width in most cases. Steel-reinforced concrete embankment walls line the right-of-way and there are 38 viaducts built into the railroad to accommodate cross traffic from the street grid. Many of the viaducts are currently in need of repair.
The line was used for both passenger and freight trains and served several local industrial businesses, including a Schwinn Bicycle Company
warehouse. The Bloomingdale Line was primarily used to reach the Lakewood Branch and industrial district on Goose Island
. The last freight train ran on the line in 2001.
and on the west end another trailhead would be integrated into the Logan Square YMCA
campus.
A grassroots, non-profit organization, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail (FBT), was formed in 2003 to be the focal point for advocacy and community involvement in the conversion project. FBT has partnered with the City and The Trust for Public Land
, a national land conservation group, in a collaboration that will lead the project management, design, and development of the park.
Similar elevated greenway projects include:
The Chicago Department of Transportation announced on July 15, 2009, that it had selected a design firm to lead a team for the initial design and engineering work. After the announcement, the City created and has update a document that describes the background, the location, and the future of the project. View a map based on the information in the document.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
that the city of Chicago has proposed to convert into a greenway
Greenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
. The right-of-way passes through the community areas Logan Square
Logan Square, Chicago
Logan Square is one of the 77 city-designated community areas located on the near northwest side of the City of Chicago. The name, used here to describe the community area defined by U.S. census tracts, also applies to one of a number of smaller, more loosely defined residential neighborhoods...
, Humboldt Park
Humboldt Park, Chicago
Humboldt Park is one of 77 officially designated community areas located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. The Humboldt Park neighborhood is widely known for its large Puerto Rican presence...
and West Town
West Town, Chicago
West Town, located in Chicago, Illinois, northwest of the Loop, is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Its name may refer to Western Avenue, which was the city's western boundary at the time of West Town's settlement, but more likely was a convenient abstraction by the creators...
.
History
The Bloomingdale Line was originally constructed in 1873 by the Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company as part of the 36 miles (57.9 km) Elgin subdivision from Halsted Street in Chicago to the suburb of Elgin, IllinoisElgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
. It was soon absorbed by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway (also known as the Milwaukee Road), first via a 999-year lease in 1880 and later with a fee simple deed conveyance to the same in 1900. As a result of mergers and acquisitions, it became part of the Soo Line Railroad
Soo Line Railroad
The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , controlled through the Soo Line Corporation, and one of seven U.S. Class I railroads. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste...
, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, which currently owns the right-of-way.
The railroad was elevated approximately twenty feet in the 1910s as result of a city ordinance aimed at reducing pedestrian fatalities at grade crossings. The line had been a street running
Street running
On-street running or street running is when a railroad track or tramway track runs directly along city streets, without any separation. The rails are embedded in the road....
railway within Bloomingdale Avenue, an east-west street running at 1800 north on Chicago's grid; creating the embankment reduced Bloomingdale Avenue's width in most cases. Steel-reinforced concrete embankment walls line the right-of-way and there are 38 viaducts built into the railroad to accommodate cross traffic from the street grid. Many of the viaducts are currently in need of repair.
The line was used for both passenger and freight trains and served several local industrial businesses, including a Schwinn Bicycle Company
Schwinn Bicycle Company
The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded by German-born mechanical engineer Ignaz Schwinn in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century and today it is a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the multi-national conglomerate, Dorel...
warehouse. The Bloomingdale Line was primarily used to reach the Lakewood Branch and industrial district on Goose Island
Goose Island (Chicago)
Goose Island is the only island on the Chicago River in Illinois. It is an artificial island, formed by the North Branch of the Chicago River on the west and the North Branch Canal on the east...
. The last freight train ran on the line in 2001.
Proposed conversion to a greenway or linear park
The City of Chicago first investigated converting the Bloomingdale Line into a greenway in a 1997 bicycle facilities plan, but it remained a freight line with occasional service for several more years. The City and community reintroduced the greenway concept as part of the Logan Square Open Space Plan in 2002-2004. This plan proposes a linear park or greenway with public access ramps every six to nine blocks. At the east end, a trailhead would be created at the Chicago RiverChicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
and on the west end another trailhead would be integrated into the Logan Square YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
campus.
A grassroots, non-profit organization, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail (FBT), was formed in 2003 to be the focal point for advocacy and community involvement in the conversion project. FBT has partnered with the City and The Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land is a land conservation nonprofit founded in 1972 by Huey Johnson and based in San Francisco, California in the United States. TPL works throughout the United States to conserve land for people as parks, gardens, and other natural places.- TPL Conservation Initiatives :TPL...
, a national land conservation group, in a collaboration that will lead the project management, design, and development of the park.
Similar elevated greenway projects include:
- The High Line, New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- Promenade PlantéePromenade PlantéeThe Promenade plantée or the Coulée verte is a narrow, 4.7 km parkway in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France.- Overview :The Promenade plantée is a extensive green belt that follows the old Vincennes railway line...
, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... - Valencia, Spain's dried up river bed of the Turia (steps lead down into the park)
The Chicago Department of Transportation announced on July 15, 2009, that it had selected a design firm to lead a team for the initial design and engineering work. After the announcement, the City created and has update a document that describes the background, the location, and the future of the project. View a map based on the information in the document.