About two months ago, the Belmont ‘L’ station in Avondale was in the press as a secondary part of CTA’s retirement of the 2200 series railcars. This transit station in the International Style, along with sister stop Logan Square, was designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill along with the then-new stainless steel cars in the late 1960s.

Although often overlooked as an architectural treasure, Belmont is a beautiful example of functional minimalism.

Continue reading »

Idle railcars in the yard at Kimball Brown Line.

The typography and striking color of the 1970s building in the photo above was one of the first things I noticed about the Albany Park neighborhood. After speaking with some of the mechanics that worked there, I learned something a little humorous about the place. Notice anything unusual on the mounted yellow sign?

Continue reading »

Hidden on a quiet street on the northwest side is a modest home which saw the beginning of an international entertainment icon: Walt Disney.

Continue reading »