CHICAGO SURFACE LINES CAR HOUSES

Car houses in use for streetcars through the 1940's and 1950's, the end of the streetcar era. Most of these car houses were opened between 1907 and 1910, and most were later converted to CTA bus garages. Actual addresses may not be exact.

CALUMET & SOUTH CHICAGO RAILWAY

BURNSIDE
9314 S. Drexel Ave. (at 93rd St.)
Opened in 1893
Capacity in 1911: 60 cars inside/33 cars outside
Capacity in 1943: 72 cars inside/128 cars outside
Closed September 12, 1949
Operations consolidated into 77th Street
Building now used by small industry

CHICAGO CITY RAILWAY

ARCHER
2600 W. Pershing Rd. (at Archer Ave./Rockwell Ave.)
Opened in 1908
Capacity in 1911: 267 cars inside/36 cars outside
First used for buses in 1934
Capacity in 1943: 279 cars inside/43 cars outside/60 buses inside
Used for trolleybuses 1948-1965
Used for propane buses 1959-1972
Last used for streetcars 1948
Modernized 1986 by CTA
Capacity: 290 buses
Closed February 7, 2010
Building demolished in 2014

COTTAGE GROVE
3800 S. Cottage Grove Ave. (at 38th St.)
Replaced earlier car house at same location
New car house opened in 1907
Capacity in 1911: 287 cars inside/31 cars outside
Capacity in 1943: 302 cars inside/34 cars outside
Closed June 19, 1955
Operations consolidated into 77th Street
Building demolished

69TH STREET
1601 W. 69th St. (at Ashland Ave.)
Opened in 1908
Capacity in 1911: 191 cars inside/25 cars outside
Capacity in 1943: 191 cars inside/133 cars outside
First used for buses in 1953
Used for propane buses 1953-1973
Last used for streetcars 1954
First diesel buses 1973
Closed June 18, 1995
Replaced by 74th Street Garage
Building demolished in 1998

77TH STREET
210 W. 79th St. (at Vincennes Ave.)
Supplemented earlier car house at same location
New car house opened in 1907
Capacity in 1911: 484 cars inside/54 cars outside
First used for buses in 1930
Capacity in 1943: 429 cars inside/244 cars outside/62 buses inside
Used for propane buses 1950-1973
Last used for streetcars 1958
Modernized 1975 by CTA, in use

SOUTH SHOPS
7801 S. Vincennes (next to 77th St. Car House/Garage)
Opened in 1902
Bus shops expansion opened in 1963
Still in use by CTA as main bus maintenance facility

CHICAGO RAILWAYS

ARMITAGE
2501 W. Armitage Ave. (at Campbell Ave.)
Opened in 1878
Used for Milwaukee Ave. cable cars 1890-1906
Capacity in 1911: 105 cars
Capacity in 1943: 62 cars inside/109 cars outside
Closed May 11, 1952
Operations temporarily consolidated into North Park Garage
Building now used by small industry

BLUE ISLAND (24TH STREET)
2201 W. 24th St. (at Leavitt Ave.)
Originally opened in 1892 on Blue Island Ave., immediately south
New car house opened in 1908
Capacity in 1911: 142 cars
Capacity in 1943: 145 cars inside/7 cars outside
First used for buses in 1948
Last used for streetcars 1951
Closed January 16, 1955
Operations consolidated into Lawndale
Building demolished, Ruiz Elementary School presently occupies location

DEVON
6454 N. Clark St. (at Devon Ave.)
Opened in 1901
Capacity in 1911: 180 cars
Capacity in 1943: 112 cars inside/144 cars outside
Also administered buses based at Ardmore Garage
Closed September 7, 1957
Operations consolidated into North Park Garage
Building demolished, police station presently occupies location

DIVISION
2357 W. Division St. (at Western Ave.)
Opened before 1908
Capacity in 1911: 100 cars
Capacity in 1943: 133 cars inside/29 cars outside
Closed May 4, 1947
Building demolished, Clemente High School presently occupies location

ELSTON
3610 N. Elston Ave. (at Addison St.)
Opened in 1894
Capacity in 1911: 57 cars inside/24 cars outside
Used for trolleybuses 1930-1951
Capacity in 1943: 54 cars inside/41 cars outside/7 trolleybuses outside
Closed January 21, 1951
Building demolished

KEDZIE
358 S. Kedzie Ave. (at Van Buren St.)
Replaced earlier car house at same location
New car house opened in 1910
Capacity in 1911: 291 cars inside/30 cars outside
Capacity in 1943: 295 cars inside/107 cars outside
First used for buses in 1954
Last used for streetcars 1954
Used for trolleybuses 1953-1973
Used for propane buses 1954-1973
First diesel buses 1955
Closed September 2, 1979, new replacement bus garage opened June 29, 1984

LAWNDALE
3925 W. Cermak Ave. (at Pulaski Ave./Ogden Ave.)
Replaced earlier car house at same location
New car house opened in 1910
Capacity in 1911: 187 cars inside/46 cars outside
First used for buses in 1941
Capacity in 1943: 168 cars inside/68 cars outside/28 buses inside
Last used for streetcars 1952
Used for propane buses 1950-1952
Originally closed December 16, 1973
Reopened September 2, 1979 to June 29, 1984 when Kedzie Garage was replaced
Reopened September 7, 1986 to July 3, 1994 when North Ave. Garage was replaced
Closed July 3, 1994
Building demolished in 1999

LIMITS
2684 N. Clark St. (at Schubert Ave.)
Replaced earlier car house at same location
Used for Clark St. cable cars 1888-1906
New car house opened in 1909
Capacity in 1911: 85 cars inside/8 cars outside
First used for buses in 1938
Capacity in 1943: 84 cars inside/23 cars outside/13 buses inside
Last used for streetcars 1954
Closed July 3, 1994
Operations mostly consolidated into Kedzie Garage
Building demolished in 1998

LINCOLN
1001 W. Wrightwood Ave. (at Lincoln Ave./Sheffield Ave.)
Replaced earlier car house at same location
Used for Lincoln Ave. cable cars 1889-1906
New car house opened in 1910
Capacity in 1911 and 1943: 94 cars inside/70 cars outside
Closed March 11, 1951
Building demolished, baseball field presently occupies location

NOBLE
1901 N. Hermitage Ave. (at Cortland Ave.)
Opened before 1908
Capacity in 1911: 18 cars inside/60 cars outside
Capacity in 1943: 17 cars inside/103 cars outside
Closed August 31, 1947
Building demolished

NORTH AVENUE
4801 W. North Ave. (at Cicero Ave.)
Opened in 1910
Capacity in 1911: 59 cars inside/90 cars outside
First used for buses in 1927
Used for trolleybuses 1930-1973
Capacity in 1943: 59 cars inside/418 cars outside
Capacity in 1943 (bus garage annex): 50 buses inside/10 buses outside
Capacity in 1943 (bus garage annex): 13 trolleybuses inside/145 trolleybuses outside
Used for propane buses 1950-1972
Last used for streetcars 1951
Closed September 7, 1986
Replaced by Chicago Ave. Garage
Building demolished in late 1980's/early 1990's

WEST SHOPS
3901 W. West End Ave. (at Springfield Ave.)
Opened before 1907
Still in use by CTA for miscellaneous fabrication/construction