J6/3 .C4-W2 UC-NRLF *C 21 572 ^ EXCHANGE EXCHANGE f \ls |AN 4 1916 uni v h k v i r V i ' P REPORT OF MR. JOHN F. WALLACE TO THE Committee on Railway Tefminals OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHICAGO BARNARD & MILLER PRINT, CHICAGO. REPORT OF MR. JOHN F. WALLACE TO THE Committee on Railway Terminals OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHICAGO CHICAGO TERMINALS INTRODUCTION In the consideration of the Railway Terminal situation at Chi- cago it becomes necessary at the outset, for the purpose of sim- plification, to separate it into two parts — passenger and freight. Each part should be considered with reference to the needs of the community, to its own needs, its relation to commercial re- quirements; also the relationship of each terminal to others, to the traffic of the streets leading to it, and to the distributing sys- tems of transportation within the city and its suburbs. These phases of the problem are of intimate concern to all interested in the welfare of Chicago, for unless each factor neces- sary to the successful use of a railway terminal receives proper consideration, the result is unsatisfactory to both the public and the railroads. No one factor is of greater importance than that of providing proper facilities for carrying the constantly increas- ing volume of street traffic. It is, therefore, not sufficient, in the study of this question, to consider the requirements of the railways alone, for the relation- ship of railway terminals to the city, in meeting conveniently the necessities of the people and in facilitating the growth of the city along lines productive of greatest ultimate development, is of the highest consequence. I have endeavored, in the brief time at my disposal for the consideration of a question so complicated, involving so many large interests, to outline what appears to me to be the controlling con- ditions and the course of action that may consistently be taken at this time to meet the immediate necessities of the concrete sit- uation your Committee now has before it for consideration. 328866 PASSENGER TERMINALS. The need for a general change in the facilities now nsed in the passenger and freight bnsiness of most of the railways of Chi- cago is apparent to the most casual observer. The traffic of the railways is constantly outgrowing their facilities for carrying on the bnsiness. Bnt it is not the railways alone that are confronted with a problem of transportation, for likewise the traffic of the city has outgrown the capacity of the streets in the central busi- ness district, both as to the use of the sidewalks and of the road- ways. It is therefore necessary in working out this problem to con- sider it as a whole and to endeavor so to balance the functions of the different parts, that when readjusted the result will be a con- venient, efficient and economical system of transportation for both the city and the railways, designed to meet not only the pressing needs of today, but of the future; to the end that expansion of the city and of the railways may be along lines of systematic development. The essential need of the city at this time is that a breadth of view in the treatment of its transportation problem may prevail, to insure an opportunity for adequate development of all the in- terests concerned. The business district of the city, represented by the area on the South Side, north of 12th Street, substantially one mile square, is not only hemmed in on all sides by the railways, but is pene- trated for about one-half of this distance by railway extensions inwardly from the south, so that the area free from railway oc- cupation is limited to the central district, north of Van Buren Street, and is in effect about one-quarter of a square mile. Within this restricted area lie the active centers of the financial district, the retail district, the wholesale district, the public buildings of the National Government and of the city and county, the prin- cipal hotels and the great office buildings that centralize the com- mercial activities of the city. Within this narrow district the surface traction lines and the elevated railways of the city focus their entire traffic As a result of this varied and intense concentration of busi- ness activity, within an area representing l/764th of the total area of the city, an undue congestion of the streets has been brought about during the business hours of the day — a condition so urgently demanding relief that immediate action toward that end is of vital importance. This necessity may be realized more clearly when it is considered that while the most modern build- ings of the district are being constructed upwards of twenty stories in height, the average height of all the buildings in the district is less than eight stories. The significance of this comparison is to be found in the fact that while the district is as yet less than half built up, the conditions of traffic upon the streets are such as to seriously impair the prospects of further development Of the various plans that have been suggested for Union Sta- tion Passenger Terminals, none would eventually so effectually bar the expansion of the business district of the city southward as the proposal to locate such terminals at 12th Street, occupying all the space between State Street and the river. The outlet for expansion of the business district southward of 12th Street should be kept open between Michigan Avenue and the river to the utmost extent possible. Looking now to the West Side, we find that from 12th Street north to Madison Street the railways are limited to a narrow strip of land lying between Canal Street and the river, with tracks so much below the grade of the city streets as not to interfere with all the east and west streets being carried over the railway prop- erty on viaducts the full width of the streets, and of easy grades. 6 It may therefore be proper to leave this railway strip to such intensive development as the railways deem advantageous to make. From Canal Street westward to Western Avenue, a distance of 2\ miles, and from 12th Street northward to Madison Street, a distance of one mile, the West Side of the city has an area of 2£ square miles free from railway tracks, which offers great op- portunity for industrial and commercial development. To the northward the railways are substantially confined to a strip along the river and its north branch, leaving for business development on the North Side an area extending from Kinzie Street to North Avenue, 1£ miles, and from the river to the lake, 1| miles, equaling 2.25 square miles. As a result of a study of existing conditions, it is self-evident that the principal thoroughfares connecting the central district witii the north, south and west sides of the city should remain open and unobstructed, and provision be made for the widening of the more important ones as future necessities may require. The railway approaches to the City of Chicago are along seven different routes, as follows : i 1. The Illinois Central right-of-way along the Lake Front; 2. The Lake Shore-Rock Island right- of -way parallel to Clark Street; 3. The Pennsylvania-Western Indiana right-of-way between Stewart avenue and Canal street; 4. The Illinois Central-Santa Fe-Alton right-of-way parallel to Archer avenue; 5. The Burlington-North Western-Baltimore & Ohio right-of-way parallel to Sixteenth street; 6. The St. Paul-Pan Handle-North Western right-of- way parallel to Kinzie street; 7. The North Western right-of-way parallel to Mil- waukee avenue. Of these seven, four are east and south of the river, while three are north and west of the river. There are at the present time six Railway Passenger Ter- minals in the City; namely, the North Western Station, the Union Station, the La Salle Street Station, the Grand Central Station, the Dearborn Station and the Central Station. These stations accommodate railroads as follows: Northwestern : Union: La Salle : Grand Central: Dearborn: Central : Total: 1 road: 5 roads 4 roads 4 roads 8 roads 4 roads 26 roads. Chicago & Northwestern ; Chicago & Alton, Chi. Bur. & Quiney, Chi. Mil. & St. Paul, Pitts. Cin. Chi. & St. Louis, Pitts. Ft. Wayne & Chi.; Chi. Indiana & Sou., Chi. Rock Island & Pac, Lake Shore & Mich. Sou., New York, Chi. & St. Louis Baltimore & Ohio, Bait. & Ohio Chi. Term., Chicago Great Western, Pere Marquette ; Atch. Top. & Santa Fe, Chesapeake & Ohio, Chicago & East. 111., Chicago & Erie, Chicago & West. Ind. Chi. Ind. & Louisville, Grand Trunk, Wabash ; Cleve. Cin. Chi. & St. Louis ; Michigan Central, Minn. St. Paul & S. Ste. M., Illinois Central. The North Western Station, fronting south on Madison Street, occupies the entire block between Canal Street and Clinton 8 Street. It has a width of 320 feet, and its length, including head house and train shed, is 1,124 feet. It is a new and thoroughly- modern structure of most substantial fireproof construction, with steel frame and granite exterior of imposing design. The interior of polished marble and tile is exceedingly handsome in the propor- tions, arrangement and finish of the waiting rooms, stairways and concourse. The waiting rooms, with their appurtenances and appointments, are large, complete and well arranged, and the ven- tilating, heating and lighting arrangements are quite satisfactory. Every facility for the comfort and convenience of passengers has been carefully planned, and the quickness and ease with which tickets can be purchased and baggage checked is admirable. The space provided for the movement of passengers to and from trains is ample and the entrances and exits of the train platforms well designed for handling large crowds. The train shed is on an upper level, 18 feet above the street It has 16 stub tracks, with six main line elevated approach tracks. The station was opened for service June 4, 1911 ; it has capacity for a large increase over the business now being handled; its cost was $25,000,000, and it should adequately meet the requirements of traffic for many years. The Union Station, fronting west on Canal Street, between Monroe and Adams Streets, was opened for service April 4, 1881. The Station building is of ordinary brick construction, with wooden floors, partitions and stairways. The waiting-rooms are at the street level, and the train concourse is at the track level. While designed as a through station it is used as a double stub station, the trains of the Pennsylvania, Burlington and Alton roads arriving and departing at the south end, while the trains of the Si Paul and the Pan Handle roads arrive and depart at the north end. 9 The traffic of the roads has entirely outgrown the capacity of the station, and the accommodations for the passengers have be- come wholly inadequate. The La Salle Street Station, fronting north on Van Buren Street, occupies the entire block between Sherman and La Salle Streets, and was opened for service July 1, 1903. The entire structure is of modern steel frame, fireproof construction, hand- somely furnished, with complete appointments conveniently ar- ranged for the accommodation of passengers. The train shed, waiting rooms and passenger concourse are on an upper level, above the street. There are eleven stub tracks, with four approach tracks. The Grand Central Station, fronting north on Harrison Street, was opened for service December 10, 1890. It has a width of 235 feet and its length, including head house and train shed, is 700 feet. The waiting-rooms, concourse and tracks are at the street level. The Station building is of ordinary stone and brick construc- tion; the appointments are well arranged, complete, attractive, and ample for the accommodation of passengers. The train shed has eight stub tracks, with two approach tracks. The Dearborn Station, fronting north on Polk Street, occu- pies the entire block between Federal Street and Plymouth Court, and was opened for service May 8, 1885. It has a width of 213 feet and its length, including head house and train shed, is 643 feet. The waiting rooms, concourse and tracks are at street level. The station building is of substantial brick construction; the waiting-rooms and appointments are small and inadequate for the service. The train shed has ten stub tracks, with four ap- proach tracks. All of the station tracks are intersected at grade by Taylor Street, for which an opening 40 feet wide has to be maintained 10 across the tracks for the movement of street traffic. This open- ing necessitates the cutting and separation of trains during the time they are standing in the station, whenever they exceed 680 feet, or about ten cars, in length. This station is the most congested of any in the city; its facil- ities are limited; is not well located, and access to it is through narrow and crowded streets. The Central Station, fronting north on Grant Park, was opened for service April 17, 1893. It is a steel frame, stone and brick structure, of fireproof con- struction, having a width of 215 feet, and its length, including head house and train shed, is 815 feet. The train shed has six tracks, with two approach tracks at the south end, a connection with the St. Charles Air Line and two switching leads at the north end. The waiting-rooms are on an upper level, 18 feet above the street, and the tracks run through the station at street level. Ac- cess to the trains is by a subway under the station tracks, or by stairs descending from the waiting-rooms. It was designed as a through station, to give the freest and safest possible movement of trains and passengers. The operation of its train service at the station is ideal in its efficiency, but objection on the part of the passengers to climb- ing up and descending stairs or of using the subway was so great that they have practically been abandoned, and an emergency opening across the tracks at. grade has been used for many years by passengers going to and from trains. Under an agreement between the South Park Commissioners and the Illinois Central Company, the station is to be torn down and the site vacated for park purposes. It will be seen from the foregoing review that of the five older terminal passenger stations now in use, three, the Union Station, 11 the Illinois Central Station and the Dearborn Station, have served their purpose, and must soon be replaced with more commodious structures. The La Salle Street Station, by the growth of business, will require enlargement or replacement within the next ten years. The Grand Central Station, while admirably arranged, is badly located, with a drawbridge across the Chicago River near its train entrance. It is of small capacity. The interests now owning this station might find it profitable to have the railroads using it secure facilities elsewhere, and dispose of this property for commercial use. The Union Station Company has submitted plans for a greatly enlarged passenger terminal located on Canal Street, upon sub- stantially the same site as to train shed and tracks that it now occupies. The Dearborn Station Company has not as yet submitted plans for a new and enlarged passenger terminal, and it is not known what improvements it has in contemplation. The Illinois Central, owning the Central Station, has plans in course of preparation for a new and greatly enlarged passen- ger terminal, located at 12th Street and the Lake Front, with a possible capacity, on two levels, for taking care of all the railroads on the South Side of the city, now using stations east of the Chi- cago River. Measured by the needs of the community alone, at least two general locations for railway passenger terminals are necessary to meet present requirements. One on the South Side and the other on the West Side, between Van Buren and Madison Streets adjacent to Canal Street. It should be remembered, however, that the railroads now occupying other sites have vested rights in the present holdings and cannot be forced, without their consent, to remove or rebuild 12 their existing terminals; and only their inability to take care of their expanding business or an opportunity to increase their rev- enue or reduce their operating expenses would probably induce them to abandon their present locations. The Lake Shore and Eock Island Station needs, however, spe- cial consideration, from the standpoint of public convenience, on account of its accessibility to and from the business center, par- ticularly for its suburban business. The preferable location of any railroad passenger terminal over another is measured by its greater convenience to and accessibility by the public. The new North Western Station, at Canal and Madison Streets, having been designed to serve the purposes of one road, another station to provide for the group of roads now established in that locality and using the old Union Station becomes a neces- sity, as much from the standpoint of the public using it and the business interests situated in the heart of the city, as from a rail- road point of view. Upon the South Side of the city a location at 12th Street and Michigan Avenue Lake Front appears to be one that can be suit- ably provided on property available only for railroad uses, and without blocking business development southward. Under the agreement between the South Park Commission- ers and the Illinois Central Railroad, executed in 1912, the rail- road company is granted additional lands on the lake front, which together with previous holdings, gives it a site for its new passen- ger terminal southward from 12th Street, 750 feet in width, with an extension over 600 feet in width nearly to 31st Street, a dis- tance of about two miles. Upon this site it is possible to construct a new Central Station on two levels, providing for 30 stub tracks on each level, a total of 60 tracks, all available for through pas- senger trains; the suburban trains to be run through the station in a subway on an independent set of tracks. 13 The widening of 12th Street westward, with the widening and improvement of Michigan Avenue to the North Side, will provide thoroughfares of exceptional character for vehicle traffic from the North, the West and the South Sides of the city to a passenger terminal located at 12th Street and the lake front. The site for the station at the south end of Grant Park affords splendid oppor- tunity for architectural effect, and the broad right-of-way south- ward for several miles along the shore of the lake, having a ca- pacity for 20 main tracks as far as 51st Street and 15 tracks beyond, with no street crossings at grade, makes possible an ave- nue of approach to the city for the passenger trains of the rail- ways from the East, the South and the Southwest that exceeds in capacity, in attractiveness of surroundings and in advantage of location, any railway entrance to a great city. Nor are the advantages confined to the railways alone. The grouping of the passenger facilities of the railways of the South Side along the shore of the lake south of 12th Street and east of Michigan Avenue, leaving all the territory between Michigan Ave- nue and the river free, will make possible the first effective step to the extension southward of the business district of the city. This cannot be brought about except as each individual rail- road company may see its way clear to do so, and it does not seem reasonable to suppose that the Lake Shore and Rock Island com- panies will give up their preferential position until their present station becomes inadequate. In the meantime, the land occupied may become so valuable that its use for a railroad station would not be. warranted, compared with a sale of the property and the rental or purchase of terminals elsewhere. As the Illinois Central Eailroad is required by its charter to pay to the State of Illinois seven per cent, of its gross revenue, which is over twenty per cent, of its net earnings from operation, all rentals for terminals received by it will accrue to the advantage 14 of citizens of Illinois, including Chicago, which is to that extent an indirect partner. As the land set aside to the Illinois Central can be used only for railroad purposes, it is to the interest of the City of Chicago not only to favor but encourage the use of this property, relieving thereby the congestion in the territory now occupied by other railroads south of Van Buren Street and be- tween State Street and the Chicago River. The Illinois Central having signified its willingness to make provision, on reasonable terms, in its new station for the passen- ger service of all the South Side roads, and with its main lines extending south and west to readily intercept the traffic of these roads, there appears to be no substantial reason why the grouping of the passenger terminals of the South Side lines at 12th Street and the lake front is not only feasible and practicable, but in every way advantageous to the railways, to the city, and to the com- munity in general. The elimination in the course of time of three of the existing passenger terminals — the Dearborn, the La Salle, and the Grand Central — would dispense with unnecessary stations and simplify the railroad situation within the business district. With two permanent centers for the development of the rail- way passenger terminals of the city thus established; the one at 12th Street and the lake front, and the one at approximately Canal and Madison Streets, the distance between these terminals would he approximately one mile east and west, and one mile north and south ; the location of the North terminal being at the northwest corner and of the South terminal at the southeast corner of a square mile, within which would lie the central business district of the city. The routes of rapid street communication between these ter- minals would be on the easterly and northerly course via Michigan and Jackson Boulevards to Canal Street ; and on the southerly and i5 westerly course via 12th and Canal Streets ; thus establishing defi- nite lines of travel for the accommodation of which permanent street improvements suited to the character of the traffic could advantageously be made. By the southerly and westerly route the* time saved in avoiding the delays incident to the congested traffic of the business district would make that route the shorter one in point of time. The adjustment of the routes of the surface traction lines to the simplified terminal arrangements of the railways would still further improve the situation. To ultimately complete the system of passenger inter-com- munication between the railways, and to make their terminals con- veniently accessible from the outlying portions of the city and suburbs, a connecting railway system could be provided of dimen- sions sufficient to permit the movement of standard railway pas- senger equipment directly between the terminal stations, with surface outlets suitably arranged at convenient points for rail connection with the tracks of the terminal stations. Such direct physical connection to provide for the expeditious interchange of passengers, mail, baggage, express and sleeping cars between the different roads, and when necessary, the movement of complete passenger trains from one road to another on opposite sides of the city, without the delays incident to the present circuitous meth- od of making interchange over the surface tracks used by the rail- ways for freight, switching and passenger traffic. A further use of such an inner circle of communication be- tween the railway terminals could be the extension of the suburban train service of all the roads of the city to include the circuit of the terminal stations and of the business district, thus putting every part of the city and its suburbs in direct connection with every railway radiating from the city. The difficulties in the way of practically carrying out this idea 16 at the present time are so apparent that it is suggested only as a general plan that would seem desirable to keep in view and grad- ually work toward. Under the ordinance submitted by the Union Station Company to the City Council of Chicago, the consideration of which is now pending, it is proposed to construct a new passenger terminal upon substantially the same site occupied by the existing terminal, but so greatly expanded in all its functions as to present an entirely new undertaking, nothing but the site of the old terminal being utilized in the new. The plan of the new Union Station terminal provides for the station building, a monumental structure, to be located on the west side of Canal Street, occupying the entire block between Canal, Clinton, Adams Streets, and Jackson Boulevard, with a passage the full width of the block under Canal Street to the concourse and train shed, between Canal Street and the river. The character of construction to be of the highest order; the appointments complete and arranged in a manner to afford the greatest public convenience. The train shed to be 2,430 feet in length, with a width at the north end of 212 feet, and at the south end of 368 feet. The plan of the train shed provides for a double stub layout of tracks, with a passenger concourse 300 feet wide, extending entirely across the train shed between the two sets of station tracks The level of the concourses and of the connecting platforms to be upon the same level as the floors of the cars. East of the train shed and outside of it the through tracks connect the north and south ends of the terminal. The track layout at the north end will consist of ten stub tracks, varying in length from 980 feet to 1,460 feet, aggregating 11,840 lineal feet available for trains, with four main line approach tracks ; at the south end 15 stub tracks, varying 17 in length from 1,060 feet to 1,410 feet, aggregating 18,080 lineal feet available for trains, with six main line approach tracks. The area of the new station and its tracks, 24.7 acres, com- pared with 6.1 acres of the present station ; the new site exceeding in area the old by 402 per cent. It is estimated that in functional activity the new station will have four times the capacity of the old, and will meet the require- ments of increasing traffic for many years to come. A particular merit of the design of this station is the arrange- ment of the train shed on the plan of stub tracks, with a broad passenger concourse and platforms all on a level with the car floors. This plan offers to the public the most simple and direct meth- od of approach and departure, and is the most convenient method by which passengers can go to and from trains without climbing stairs or using long ramps. A serious objection to through or loop stations is the incon- venience occasioned to the public by the use of narrow passage and stairways, in going over or under the tracks that have to be crossed, and in passing to and from the different levels at which the tracks and waiting-rooms in such stations have to be placed. It may be that in the course of time the necessity for intensive development of railway facilities will compel the adoption of through and loop stations for railway terminals, notwithstanding the public incon- venience that will result therefrom, but until that course becomes an enforced necessity the arrangement of tracks as a stub end terminal is preferable from the standpoint of public convenience. Among the different plans and ideas for passenger terminals that have been submitted for my consideration, those presented by Mr. F. A. Delano, President Wabash Railroad; Mr. Jarvis Hunt, architect; Pond & Pond, architects; Guenzel & Drummond, archi- 18 tects, and the Chicago Plan Commission; are the most compre- hensive and are the result of much careful study and thought. Mr. Delano favors a location south of 12th Street and be- tween State Street and the Eiver for a Union Station, or a group of stations, fronting on 12th Street, without advocating any special personal plan to the exclusion of all others. Mr. Hunt's plan involves the radical changing of the course of the Chicago Eiver, and straightening it from Van Buren Street to 18th Street. Upon the ground thus made available as a site, he proposes to construct a grand terminal for all the roads, cover- ing the area between 12th and 16th Streets, State Street and the Eiver — approximately one-half mile square, with tracks upon a level above and below the streets. The track plan provides for a loop system of train movements, with a drawbridge across the river at the entrance to the station for railways approaching the city from the West and North. The Pond & Pond plan provides a series of unit stations ex- tending in a north and south line west of the river from Madison Street as far as may be needed. The site of the terminal at Madison Street occupies all of the space between Clinton Street and the Eiver, necessitating the va- cating of Canal Street and the opening of a new street along the east line of the terminal location. Each of the unit stations is a composite of the through and loop types, with tracks upon the second and third levels above the streets, the different levels being connected by long flights of stairs up and down which all passengers would have to go in their move- ments to and from trains. The Guenzel and Drummond plan provides a series of five unit stations, occupying the entire block between Canal Street and Clinton Street, in a north and south line, from Madison to 15th Street. 19 Each unit station is of the through type, with waiting-rooms and tracks on four high levels ahove the streets. The different levels being connected by long narrow stairways between the tracks, up and down which all passengers would have to go in their movements to and from trains. The Chicago Plan Commission proposes a location south of 12th Street and west of Canal Street for the West Side railroad companies, using the Union Station, instead of building a new station on the present site. Monumental buildings of imposing design are characteristic of each of these plans, while the track layouts are indefinitely sug- gestive, rather than the carefully worked out systems required for successful railroad operation. All possess some ideas of merit, and the public should appre- ciate the time, labor and expense which have been so generously contributed in assisting in the solution of the terminal problem, by these gentlemen. Considering the fact that as a condition precedent to the crea- tion of any Union Station plan the concurrence of all the railroads using it must be secured in addition to the consent of The City Council of Chicago, and considering further that a large number of the railroads interested would be required to give up situations which they independently control and which are considered pref- erential situations, also considering their legal rights; it would seem impracticable to bring about any joint harmonious action, in the near future, on any single Union Station plan, even though it might be a desirable one of itself. Ultimate accomplishment along these lines would be a matter of years of negotiation and perhaps litigation. It is reasonable to presume that in the meantime the present facilities of the Dearborn Street Station, the Lake Shore and Rock Island Station, and the Grand Central Station, will have become 20 antiquated and outlived their usefulness, and that the railroads occupying them will have either gravitated to the Illinois Central site on the Lake Front south of 12th Street, or to some new loca- tion south of 12th Street. Even the new proposed Union Station on the west side may- require enlargement, reconstruction or removal during the next generation. The solution of problems of this character requires time, pa- tience, broad and liberal views on the part of all interested, and must be worked out gradually along lines of least resistance. Heretofore in most of the large cities of the United States, few railroad terminal stations have been adequate for the necessities of the public and the railroads for a period of 25 years ; and we have no assurance that the new large stations now being planned and constructed, or those recently built, will show any better rec- ord than that indicated by the past. A large Union Station located south of 12th Street between State Street and the river, even if the river could be straightened, which could not be brought about except after years of negotia- tion and litigation, would in a few years probably become con- gested, and the problem of enlargement be one of difficulty, in- convenience, and expense. It would also be an obstacle to future growth and develop- ment of the city southward, probably much more so than that now caused by the railroad holdings north of 12th Street. It is less than fifty years since 22d Street was the southern limit of the city. In the event of any or all of the South Side group of rail- roads not being able, for reasons of policy or for any cause, to utilize the Lake Front terminal south of 12th Street, any new station facilities should be confined within street building lines with either subway or elevated approaches, in such a way as to 21 avoid blocking or interfering with streets or thoroughfares, even if separate stations for different groups of railroads were ren- dered necessary ; but it should be the policy of the city to enlarge, widen or extend its streets and thoroughfares leading to the southward and not to permit further encroachment thereon. While the writer does not desire to burden this report with long arguments of a technical nature as to the question of the comparative advantages or disadvantages of a Central Union Station for all Chicago railways, as against independent stations or separate groups of stations situated around the business cen- ter, he does desire to state that he cannot see the advantage of the former either in convenience to the public or in economy or convenience of operation to the railroads; in fact, experience in other localities would seem to show, as far as the railroads are concerned, an increase in fixed charges and expenses of opera- tion entirely out of proportion to any material advantages gained thereby. In Chicago a vast number of people entering or leaving the city by these railroads would be inconvenienced thereby. The traveling public passing through Chicago, and going from one railroad to another not now using the same stations, is very small, being about two per cent, of the total number using these stations. The business interests located in the center of the city cer- tainly would not be benefited by the location of a Union Station, more difficult to access than the present ones, which would only add to the convenience of non-Chicago passengers, to the in- convenience of the greater number desiring to do business within the heart of the city. Unless a Grand Central Union Station for all railroads in Chicago can be made more beautiful and attractive than several stations occupied by separate groups of railroads, and be more ac- 22 cessible and convenient to the public; occupy less space and by offering new quarters to the railroads enable them to dispose of present holdings, and open up new streets and territory for the expansion of business; there would seem to be no object in its consideration from the standpoint of the public interest. Unless a Central Union Station would enable the railroad companies to better serve the public, increase their passenger business, reduce their operating expenses, or increase their net earnings, it would not seem advisable from a practical railroad point of view for any railroad to give up a satisfactory, conveni- ent, preferential location. I cannot see how a single Union Station, or a continuous group of adjoining stations lined up south of 12th Street, could be convenient to that large part of the traveling public — be they through, local, or suburban passengers — which desires access to the business center of Chicago. If the present suburban stations are maintained, there is still less reason for a single Union Station south of 12th Street. Nor can I see where or how such a station would relieve the present situation, unless the suburban passenger business was provided for in some manner at least as satisfactory if not more so than at present. From a practical railroad point of view, a single Union Sta- tion would increase congestion, be more unsatisfactory and incon- venient to passengers, and more expensive to the railroad com- panies, without enough compensating features to justify its use. RECOMMENDATION. It is my recommendation that an ordinance for a Union Passenger Terminal at the location proposed by the Union Station Company, be granted. 24 PENNSYLVANIA FREIGHT FACILITIES. The granting of the Union Station ordinance, however, does not insure the construction of the passenger terminal, for the reason that the site of the proposed passenger terminal overlaps the freight facilities of the Pennsylvania, the Burlington and the Alton roads. The ground occupied by these freight facilities cannot be vacated until other locations and facilities are provided to take the place of those to be given up; and to meet, in part, this sit- uation, the Pennsylvania Company, operating the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Eailway, has submitted for your considera- tion an ordinance granting to that Company the rights and privil- eges necessary for the construction of a new freight terminal pro* posed to be located fronting north on West Van Buren Street, cov- ering the entire block between Jefferson and Desplaines Streets, aud extending southward with buildings and team tracks to Tay- lor Street, beyond which there are further extensions for a dou- ble line of elevated approach tracks to a connection with the main line of the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago By. right-of-way at its crossing of the Chicago Kiver. The area proposed to be used for this freight terminal is a space 300 feet in width, extending southward from Van Buren Street to Ewing Street, 1920 feet. Beyond Ewing Street south- ward, the space to be occupied consists of a strip about 100 feet in width, to serve as a right-of-way for the necessary approach tracks. From a point in Stewart Avenue between West 21st Street and West 22d Street, northward and through the freight buildings to be erected between Ewing and Van Buren Streets, it is pro- posed to construct elevated approach tracks crossing all the in- 25 tervening streets and thus make a rail connection from the main line tracks to the freight houses. The main freight building to be a steel and masonry structure two stories in height, 300 feet in width, and 800 feet in length, extending from Van Buren Street to Harrison Street, with tracks upon two levels. The lower level below the surface of the adjoin- ing streets for outbound freight, and an upper level above the surface of the streets for inbound freight. Between the two track levels teams would enter the building through doorways on Jefferson Street and Desplaines Street, the interior driveways running transversely of the building upon the same level as the adjoining streets. All of the intermediate cross streets extend through the build- ing, and thus maintain the continuity of the thoroughfares for street traffic. Within the building freight would be received and delivered at platforms, the inbound freight being lowered from the cars to the teams, and the outbound freight lowered from the teams or trucks to the cars. Under this arrangement the plan of handling freight is in- tensively developed to the extent that both inbound and outbound freight would be handled within the same area on different levels. This method of handling freight is an advance over any previous system used by the railways in Chicago, and will effect a con- siderable economy in the space used for this purpose. The facility with which teams or trucks can approach the freight platforms and depart therefrom at the street level on all sides of the building, and the interior arrangements for handling the freight, are to be commended as progressive and advanced practice. Between Harrison Street and Polk Street and extending the entire width of the block from Jefferson Street to Desplaines 26 Street, the team tracks would be located upon an easy incline, con- necting at the upper end with the elevated approach tracks at Polk Street, and at the lower end with the street level at Harrison Street. South of the team tracks would be located freight ware- houses extending from Polk to Taylor Streets and covering the block between Jefferson Street and Desplaines Street. The general plan of this freight terminal is excellent. The location of the main freight building, fronting on Van Buren Street and extending south to Harrison Street, is objectionable because of the obstruction it will offer to the proposed opening of Congress Street midway of the block between Van Buren Street and Harrison Street. It is apparent to any observer of the traffic conditions of the streets in the central business district of Chicago that relief from the congestion now prevailing can be brought about only by giv- ing opportunity for the expansion of the business district west- ward as well as southward, and to this end the improvement pro- posed by the Chicago Plan Commission of opening Congress Street through to the West Side as a wide avenue of traffic is a consideration of importance to the ultimate development of a westward movement of business. The block between Van Buren Street and Harrison Street is substantially 800 feet in length, and because of its unusual length forms an impassible barrier to westward progress. The opening through this block by the extension of Congress Street will not only give a needed thoroughfare upon a central line of develop- ment, but with Van Buren Street on the north and Harrison Street on the south, both closely adjoining, will establish a triple thoroughfare within a spread of 800 feet, which, with the mod- erate widening of Van Buren Street and Harrison Street for heavy traffic, and the development of Congress Street for light 27 traffic, will provide the opportunity for a westward business move- ment such as may at some future time become a necessity. The greater portion of the outbound freight business received by the railways through their downtown freight houses and team tracks originates within the central business district of the city, and the inbound business is largely distributed in the same ter- ritory, resulting in a dense traffic upon the streets. This traffic makes use of the streets leading most directly to the entrances to the various yards and freight houses of the different roads, and being handled by slow moving teams results in a great deal of con- gestion, particularly at street intersections. It is therefore necessary that any plan looking to the im- provement of these street conditions should consider the possi- bilities of the dispersion of this traffic by bringing more streets into use for its movement, and lessening the concentration now existing. At the present time substantially all of the traffic to and from the freight terminal of the Pennsylvania Company and the cen- tral business district crosses the river on the Madison Street bridge and the Van Buren Street bridge, for the reason that the main driveways leading down to the freight houses and tracks of that company turn off from Madison and Van Buren Streets close to the bridges and can be reached in no other direct way while the terminal remains in the present location, between Canal Street and the river. The Pennsylvania Company, in locating its proposed new freight terminal west of Canal Street, evidently had in view the redistribution of this traffic by the use of Canal and Clinton Streets as the main thoroughfares, tributary to which would be the bridges at Lake, Eandolph, Washington, Madison, Adams, Jackson, Van Buren and Harrison Streets, thus giving immediate 28. relief to the existing congestion from the South Side by spreading the traffic over eight bridges instead of two. With the increased freight traffic thus thrown on Canal Street there will be a much heavier use of the street than ever before, as it may become the main thoroughfare for heavy north and south traffic from not only the South Side, but as well from the North Side, and will also carry a substantial portion of West Side traf- fic to the railway freight terminals and warehouses that may in time line Canal Street on both sides from Harrison Street to 15th Street. To meet this situation and at the same time provide an ade- quate and suitable thoroughfare for the passenger traffic to and from the Union Station, Canal Street should be widened to 100 feet from 12th Street to Harrison Street, and if possible further north, by extending the street eastwardly 20 feet over railroad property and supporting it over the tracks below. Canal Street should also be extended in a northeasterly di- rection from near its intersection with Lake Street to a connec- tion with the North Side, providing a direct additional connection between the North and West Side sections of the city. It would be advisable to reconstruct the street upon two lev- els, the upper level for rapidly moving through traffic, and the lower level for slow moving local traffic. The through cross streets to connect with the upper level and the short cross streets to connect with the lower level. With these provisions for improved street traffic, the location of the Pennsylvania freight terminal west of Canal Street will be of advantage by relieving the congestion in the freight yards as well as the streets, and the capacity for greatly increased business which the new terminal will afford will be of advantage to the mercantile and industrial interests as well as to the railroad. 29 In addition to the improvement of Canal Street I would rec- ommend the extension of Monroe Street across the river, making it available as an additional continuous avenue to the West Side. I would also recommend the consideration of the widening of Harrison Street in the near future, by increasing the width of the roadway to the present building line on each side of the street, and adding to the present street width sufficient space on each side for the necessary sidewalks. This can be done in a comparatively economical manner by having the first stories of the more expensive buildings cut back the width of the new sidewalk, thus forming an arcade under the second story. The writer does not claim any originality for the suggestion of this idea, as it is in use in several large cities, — a street in Berne, Switzerland, being a striking example of such treatment, and it has been previously recommended for the treatment of cer- tain congested portions of San Francisco, by Mr. Bion J. Arnold. It will therefore be of general advantage and benefit to the business interests of the city and the railroad that the location of the new Pennsylvania freight terminal west of Canal Street be approved, provided the plan is amended to eliminate the objec- tions which have been made to it and which can be accomplished as follows: The north line of the main freight building which it is pro- posed to locate on Van Buren Street can be set back from Van Buren Street to Harrison Street, and no portion of the proposed terminal should be permitted to extend north of the south line of West Harrison Street widened, excepting such utilization of the property between Van Buren Street and Harrison Street as can be made below the level of the street grades, and without inter- fering with the future extension of Congress Street. This can be done by the railroad company without impairing the integrity or 30 capacity of its terminal improvements by extending the freight building southward from Harrison Street to Polk Street, and by using the block from Polk Street to Taylor Street for its team tracks, in addition to such use as may be made below street grade of the block between Harrison and Van Buren Streets, as before mentioned. The two blocks thus to be occupied, from Harrison Street south to Taylor Street will be equal in length to the two blocks — Van Buren Street to Polk Street, proposed in the original plan, and the capacity of the terminal in this location can be fully maintained. By making this change of location, the menace to the proposed Congress Street extension of the Chicago Plan Commission and to the widening of Van Buren Street and Harrison Street will be removed, leaving the way clear for the street improvements leading to the proposed Civic Center on the West Side. For the proposed elevated structure to carry the freight ap- proach tracks from 21st Street and Stewart Avenue northward to Taylor Street between Jefferson and Desplaines Streets, de- pressed tracks should be substituted west of the Chicago River at a level that will pass under all of the intervening streets. In fairness to the railroad company interested it must be admitted however that a depressed approach will be more expensive to operate, on account of possible increased curvature expense and delay due to removal of snow, ice and drainage, than elevated ap- proaches, and the team tracks will be on such a slope as to require loaded trucks and wagons carrying city inbound freight to be hauled up grade instead of down grade, as in the original plans submitted by the railroad company. Any disadvantage to the rail- road company or shippers that may be caused by this subsurface approach is their contribution towards the future appearance of the city, and the prevention of a structure which it is considered will be unsightly to view and obstructive to the development of the 31 West Side. However, this change in track arrangement is a feasi- ble one, and in the interests of the city should be required of the railroad company. At a point between Taylor Street and Polk Street it will be necessary, with a depressed approach, to begin the separation of the grades of the tracks running to the upper and lower levels of the freight buildings, the tracks to the upper level ascending on a grade and fanning out as they cross Polk Street, with proper head room, to enter and run through the main freight building from Polk Street to Harrison Street. The fanning out or spread- ing of the house tracks as they cross Polk Street overhead, is un- avoidable, as it is an arrangement necessary to suit the unloading platforms of the upper level within the building. It is therefore necessary that this arrangement of overhead tracks be made, as otherwise it would be impossible to accomplish the intensive de- velopment of the property which is so much to be desired. With this exception all of the overhead crossings of streets by the ap- proach tracks to the proposed freight terminal can be eliminated and the objectionable features of this important railroad improve- ment reduced to a minimum. While this plan may necessitate the vacation of several short streets and alleys in the block to be actually occupied by the freight houses and team tracks, no through street or thoroughfare will be blocked. RECOMMENDATION. It is my recommendation in respect of the proposed freight terminal of the Pennsylvania Company, that the plans relating to the elevated approach tracks and the lo- cation of the main freight building be modified as herein suggested, and the ordinance, when amended to conform to the changes specified, be granted. 34 GENERAL FREIGHT FACILITIES. In the brief time at my disposal, to meet your requirements of an early report on the proposed new passenger terminal of the Union Station Company and the new freight terminal of the Penn- sylvania Company, I have of necessity been forced to confine my study of the subject to the most salient features of the general railway situation of the city, and to the street conditions affecting their use. The consideration of detail, however illuminating it might be to the subject, has been omitted from this report. The larger questions relating to a possible change in the lo- cation of the freight facilities of the railways, whose freight houses and team tracks are now located on the South Side of the city, north of 12th Street, must be left for consideration to a more extended investigation than I have had an opportunity of making of this subject, although I believe this problem can be worked out along lines that will relieve the present congestion, to the ad- vantage of both the railroads and the public. The question of some improved method of handling the enor- mous tonnage of freight which is shipped in and shipped out of Chicago is a very important one, when it is considered that this tonnage is largely in excess of the freight shipped into Chicago for consumption in the city. The "shipped-in shipped-out" freight is now largely handled through the streets of the business district in its movement from the railways to warehouses on its inward journey, and is again hauled through the streets from warehouses to the railway stations on its outward journey; much of it in the original form in which it was received. A great deal of the congestion of the streets in the business district of the city is due to the handling of freight which is foreign to the city, and which could with advantage to the community be handled outside of the business district. 35 The establishment outside of the city limits of a clearing- house for the handling of less-than-carload freight, in connection with universal freight-houses located conveniently within the city, is an advanced method of handling freight, which is worthy of the most careful investigation, as it has possibilities of great relief to the traffic upon the city streets. With a definite trend southward of the business district of the city, and the consequent advancing real estate values, it would ap- pear reasonable that the enhanced value of the land released from railroad use north of 12th Street on the South Side that would re- sult from the opportunity to make use of such land for the con- struction of commercial and office buildings, would yield returns more than sufficient to cover the expense to the railroads of mov- ing the freight facilities now there to new locations and adopt- ing improved methods of freight operation. How this can advantageously be accomplished will require much careful study and extended investigation, but the benefits that would accrue to the city by the vacation of all or even part of the railroad holdings used for freight purposes on the South Side between State Street and the Eiver, in the opportunity it would give for the opening up of adequate thoroughfares and the expansion of the central business district, would justify a most comprehensive investigation. I have not attempted to burden this report with a mass of statistics or long drawn out arguments, as from the conferences I have had with your Chairman and the members of your Commit- tee I judge that the essential features on which you desire my rec- ommendations are those having a bearing, either directly or in- directly, on the action which your Committee should deem it ad- visable to take in regard to the ordinance pending before the City Council and under consideration by your Committee, providing 36 for the erection of a new Union Station for the Pennsylvania, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, and the Chicago & Alton Railways, on the west side of the Chicago River between Madison and Van Bnren Streets. The conclusions which are embodied in my recommendations to you contained in this report will, I hope, give your Committee the information desired in connection with the consideration of the pending ordinances. To continue the investigation further or to attempt to solve in detail the problems that confront the city and the railroads now owning or occupying terminals south of Van Buren Street and between State Street and the Chicago River, will require a more extended investigation and take more time and funds than are now at the disposal of your Committee. Respectfully submitted, John F. Wallace. Chicago October 20, 1913. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY, BERKELEY THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW Books not returned on time are subject to a fine of 50c per volume after the third day overdue, increasing to $1.00 per volume after the sixth day. Books not in demand may be renewed if application is made before expiration of loan period. WAR 6 1921 20m-ll,'20 Gaylord Bros. Makers Syracuse N.Y. PAT. JAN. 21, 1908 3V3864 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY