Madison Street (Chicago)
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox street
| name = Madison Street
| alternate_name = 0 North/South
James Madison Street
| direction_a = West
| direction_b = East
| terminus_a = {{jct|state=IL|IL|53|name1=Columbine Avenue}} in Lombard, Illinois
| terminus_b = Michigan Avenue (100 E) Chicago
| location = Lombard, Villa Park, Elmhurst, Hillside, Bellwood, Maywood, River Forest, Forest Park, Oak Park, Chicago
}}
Madison Street is a major east–west street in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to human intervention, in the early 19th century the Chicago River after forming a large bend emptied into Lake Michigan at the present day intersection of Madison Street and Michigan Avenue.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/chicagorivernatu0000hill |url-access=registration |quote=chicago river originally emptied southward. |title=The Chicago River: A Natural and Unnatural History|access-date=2007-10-28|year=2000 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/chicagorivernatu0000hill/page/32 32], 69–75 |publisher=Lake Claremont Press |author= Libby Hill}} The street in the central was laid out in the first plat of Chicago.
Notable buildings located along Madison Street include the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building,{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070303042003/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/st/?id=eastmadisonstreet-chicago East Madison Street]}}. Emporis. Retrieved 14 October 2007. Chase Tower, Three First National Plaza, the Chicago Civic Opera House, Citigroup Center and the United Center.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20061212235459/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/st/?id=westmadisonstreet-chicago West Madison Street]}}. Emporis. Retrieved 14 October 2007. The West Side's United Center is across Madison Street from the former site of the Chicago Stadium, "the Madhouse on Madison" (demolished in 1995).
History
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|footer=The intersection of Madison Street and State Street is the origin of Chicago's numbering system.
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Per a 1908 decision by Chicago's city council, Madison serves as the north–south dividing line for Chicago's street numbering system, while State Street serves as the east–west line.[http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1205.html Street Naming]. Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 14 October 2007. At one point, the intersection between the two streets was considered the "world's busiest corner."[http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1203.html Street Life]. Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
File:Chicago - State St at Madison Ave, 1897.ogv at Madison Street, 1897]]
Transportation
The 20 Madison bus route runs along Madison Street from Austin Boulevard to Michigan Avenue. In downtown, the route runs along the Loop Link, part of which runs along Madison Street.{{cite web |title=RTA System Map |url=https://www.rtachicago.org/uploads/images/general/RTA-System-Map.pdf |publisher=Regional Transportation Authority |access-date=May 16, 2025}}
On the Chicago "L", the Loop Elevated serves Madison Street by two stations: {{cta|Washington/Wells}} and {{cta|Washington/Wabash}} stations. The street is also served by the Blue Line (via {{cta|Monroe|Blue}} and {{cta|Washington|Blue}}) and the Red Line (via {{cta|Monroe|Red}}). Historically, Madison was also served by {{cta|Madison/Wells}}, {{cta|Madison/Wabash}}, {{cta|Madison}}, and {{cta|Washington|Red}} (Red Line) stations.
Madison Street provides a connection to Ogilvie Transportation Center and Chicago Union Station through Accenture Tower and a stairway connector, respectively. Metra serves both stations; Amtrak only serves the latter station.
=History=
File:Postcard of Chicago State and Madison (Front).png
Madison Street was one of the "Big Five" streetcar lines of Chicago in the early-to-mid 20th century, which carried the most passengers, had the shortest intervals between cars, and had two-car trains in contrast to the typical one-car Chicago streetcar the most often.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=201|ps=none}} Madison Street was home to some of the earliest transit in Chicago, having a horse car service starting from 1859.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=280|ps=none}} Cable cars operated on the street until they were replaced by streetcars on August 19, 1906.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=280|ps=none}} This line was formally codified as Through Route 20 (TR 20) in July 1921.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=280|ps=none}} Two-car motor-trailer trains ran on Madison from October 14, 1923, to July 19, 1930; multiple-unit control trains began on an experimental basis on July 13, 1924.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=201|ps=none}} A branch line diverging from the main service on Fifth Avenue joined the main line downtown starting August 19, 1906, after having previously been a shuttle; staying a shuttle during the night, it reverted to that status on Sundays starting April 24, 1932.{{sfn|Lind|1974|pp=201 & 284|ps=none}} As of 1928, the main line had owl service between 1:01 and 5:20 a.m., during which cars ran for every ten minutes, but the Fifth Avenue branch did not, the last eastbound through-route car departing its western terminus of Crawford Avenue at 12:40 a.m. and the last westbound shuttle departing Madison at 2:00 a.m.;{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=203|ps=none}} during the day, streetcar lines in Chicago typically had intervals of between eight and fifteen minutes.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=201|ps=none}} Buses replaced main line streetcars on weekends starting May 11, 1952{{snd}}simultaneous with the Fifth Avenue branch's replacement by buses on Saturdays{{snd}}and altogether on December 13, 1953, whereupon the Fifth Avenue branch became a shuttle service at all times before it too was discontinued on February 22, 1954.{{sfn|Lind|1974|p=284|ps=none}}
References
{{reflist}}
Works cited
- {{cite book|title=Chicago Surface Lines: An Illustrated History |last=Lind |first=Alan R. |year=1974 |publisher=Transport History Press |location=Park Forest, Illinois}}
{{coord|41|52|55.3|N|87|37|40.1|W|region:US-IL_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Chicago}}
{{Streets in Chicago}}