36 Broadway
In 1906, the North Side trunk route ran from Clark Street and Howard Street, at the city limits, to a loop in Downtown Chicago via Clark Street, Devon Avenue, Broadway, Clark Street, Randolph Street, LaSalle Street, Monroe Street, Dearborn Street, and Randolph Street.
Both the Broadway and Evanston streetcars were operated by the Chicago Union Traction Company (incorporated Wednesday, May 24, 1899). The tracks north of Irving Park Boulevard were owned by the Chicago Consolidated Traction Company (incorporated Saturday, February 11, 1899). On Tuesday, February 25, 1908, the Chicago Union Traction Company was reorganized as the Chicago Railways Company. This changed on Tuesday, December 27, 1910—the date of the “cutting of the lines.” (See Evanston, page 7.)
After the cutting of the lines, the Broadway local route, itself, underwent a new Downtown routing via Illinois Street, LaSalle Street Tunnel, Monroe Street, Dearborn Street, Randolph Street, LaSalle Street Tunnel, Illinois Street, and Clark Street. This went into effect on Tuesday, July 23, 1912. On Wednesday, January 2, 1918, Broadway cars began to use the terminals at Broadway and Ardmore Avenue (off-street loop) and Clark Street and Arthur Avenue, (east of the Devon carhouse, not the Schreiber loop) for short-turn cars. On Tuesday, January 29, 1922, Madison Street replaced Monroe Street as the south leg of the Downtown loop, and Clark Street replaced Dearborn Street as the east leg of the loop.
Broadway-Wabash service began on Monday, December 18, 1922, from the Broadway and Ardmore Avenue terminal to 18th Street and Wabash Avenue via Broadway, Clark Street, Division Street, State Street, Lake Street, and Wabash Avenue.
The Broadway-State route replaced the Broadway-Wabash route on Friday, June 29, 1923. On Sunday, September 14, 1924, the Broadway-State routing was discontinued, and the Broadway cars began using State Street, Lake Street, Wabash Avenue, Harrison Street, and State Street.
On the north-end of the line, Broadway cars were rerouted west on Devon past Clark Street to Kedzie Avenue on Sunday, July 10, 1932. On Thursday, August 19, 1937, Broadway cars were through-routed with State Street cars to form a new Broadway-State route. This line ran from Devon Avenue and Kedzie Avenue to 119th Street and Morgan Street via Devon Avenue, Broadway, Clark Street, Division Street, State Street, 95th Street, Michigan Avenue, 119th Street, Morgan Street, 12th Street, Halsted Street, and 119th Street.
On Monday, May 15, 1939, cars on this route were shifted to run via State Street, Grand Avenue, Wabash Avenue, Lake Street, and State Street, while the State Street Bridge over the Chicago River was replaced. The old route over the new bridge was not resumed until Saturday, May 28, 1949.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, December 5, 1954, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) cut the through-routing from Devon Avenue and Kedzie Avenue to the Devon Avenue Carhouse Loop via Devon Avenue, Ravenswood Avenue, Schreiber Avenue, and Clark Street. On Monday, December 5, 1955, the South Side part of the through-route on State Street south of the Loop was discontinued. Weekday Broadway cars and weekend Broadway buses turned back at the south fringe of the Loop via State Street, Polk Street, Dearborn Street, Kinzie Street, and State Street. CTA made the final bus substitution for the weekday Broadway streetcars on Saturday, February 16, 1957.
Streetcars
RPWRHS photo C036-007 shows a CTA 36 Broadway Green Hornet streetcar turning south on Broadway from Devon Avenue. 1950.
