cta_44499_FG Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Bulldozers are currently waiting outside the former Archer Garage and it is scheduled to be torn down next week. All of you bus fans that want those last photos your time is running out. It is truely the end of an era. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 1, 2014 Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 That's truly a shame especially with open air garages still around on the north side and 77th still around which housed the first horse drawn streetcars of the 1800's!! I'll see if I can get some pictures, if that is still possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cta_44499_FG Posted March 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2014 Archer as it stands today: 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted March 2, 2014 Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 The memory goes from Krambles saying it was due for replacement, to the "serving the neighborhood for 9 decades" sign to being gone. Also, while being inside, it was really crammed into the neighborhood, as indicated that most pictures taken from Rockwell showed the building with the turret next to it. Actually, I have a better recollection of 52nd and 69th. I'm also surprised that it took a year for Archer to get to this state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cta_44499_FG Posted March 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2014 The memory goes from Krambles saying it was due for replacement, to the "serving the neighborhood for 9 decades" sign to being gone. Also, while being inside, it was really crammed into the neighborhood, as indicated that most pictures taken from Rockwell showed the building with the turret next to it. Actually, I have a better recollection of 52nd and 69th. I'm also surprised that it took a year for Archer to get to this state. Considering how long the property still sat with the "CTA Archer Garage" sign on the front, indicating doubt it could be sold, the bay 1 doors being open all summer with personnel to "secure" the property, to the CDOT trucks being parked in bay 4....several years later it's finally meeting its demise. One has to ask, if they couldn't get a buyer, then what? Plus, one has to ask just how much was the electrical bill to keep the lights going for several years to light the work areas for ghost bus operators and maintenance personnel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 .... One has to ask, if they couldn't get a buyer, then what? Plus, one has to ask just how much was the electrical bill to keep the lights going for several years to light the work areas for ghost bus operators and maintenance personnel? If they couldn't get a buyer, then what essentially goes back to the stink over Limits and North-Cicero. barns. Kass was fuming about the low bidder getting Limits, but part of the deal was that besides doing the environmental cleanup, the buyer also had to take North-Cicero off the CTA's hands for about free. Basically, the only reason that Chicago Garage is where it is was that originally there were representations that somebody wanted the land at North-Cicero to redevelop it, but that apparently was not serious at that time. Cub Foods eventually built there (now Food-4-Less). When someone got on Carole Brown on "Ask Carole" about CTA not being transparent about surplus property disposition, CTA put property appraisals on its website. Again, IIRC, the 69th barn appraised for about $3 million, the city bought it from CTA and then found a developer for the Food-4-Less shopping center. I don't see the appraisal page at an obvious place, but maybe someone can find it. My "it took a year to get to this point" was based on ordinances, reported in the News, that at the same meeting where the NovaBus contract was awarded, the CT Board authorized the sale of Archer, in Jan. 2013. BTW, that was on the second time it was advertised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cta_44499_FG Posted March 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Down it goes..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 I forgot to upload my pictures from last week. They start on the east side and work there way around the garage. Here they are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cta_44499_FG Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Then and now....the birth and death of Archer Garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cta_44499_FG Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 What's left.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Took a look at what's left of Archer garage yesterday and snapped some pictures. It now is just a pile of bricks. It looks like it will be a nice piece of land for whoever buys it. Pictures are from the ne corner working your way to the se corner of the property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Took a look at what's left of Archer garage yesterday and snapped some pictures. It now is just a pile of bricks. It looks like it will be a nice piece of land for whoever buys it. Pictures are from the ne corner working your way to the se corner of the property. .... Somebody already bought it, but it seems like the big job is going to be getting rid of the slab and remediating whatever is under it. Can see a pit there, and maybe the indication of tracks buried under the concrete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trainman8119 Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 This may be totally silly, but seeing this really breaks my heart....especially since there is no replacement. I had an aunt/uncle that once lived about 3 houses off the corner of the corner of the garage on Washtenaw. I remember seeing buses (3000 series Flx) parked on the apron in those days. An uncle, who was a driver out of Kedzie in those days, took me over one day and we walked through. Silly how simple things seem so trivial when they happen and you don't really appreciate them as they happen. Same uncle later took me through Keeler, the old Kedzie and an end to end ride on the LDR when it was relatively new. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Somebody already bought it, but it seems like the big job is going to be getting rid of the slab and remediating whatever is under it. Can see a pit there, and maybe the indication of tracks buried under the concrete. Who bought it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 7, 2014 Report Share Posted May 7, 2014 Who bought it? That was reported in this News Brief. Read the last paragraph. It also appeared from the specs that the purchaser was responsible for the demolition and environmental remediation, as well as providing a bus stop for the #39. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted May 8, 2014 Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 A real estate developer? Sounds like all they are going to do is "flip it" themselves. Technically then it's still undecided what it will become. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 8, 2014 Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 A real estate developer? Sounds like all they are going to do is "flip it" themselves. Technically then it's still undecided what it will become. That's true, but who else was going to buy it under those conditions? Maybe the U of C needs another facilities staff location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cta_44499_FG Posted May 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 Who bought it? Perhaps Pace is going to revive the old Archer/Stevenson Express, and Melinda Metzger decided an inner-city satelite garage was the best solution to cut deadheading costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted May 8, 2014 Report Share Posted May 8, 2014 Perhaps Pace is going to revive the old Archer/Stevenson Express, and Melinda Metzger decided an inner-city satelite garage was the best solution to cut deadheading costs. I suppose you haven't seen any of the Pace commercials where the bus tells the passenger about his car "he's not authorized to ride your shoulder." Actually doing so would decrease deadheading costs on 755/855, but that wasn't included in the law authorizing the Pace bond issue. Update: If one wants to get into irrelevancies (but relevant to BusHunter's observation that some developer was clearing the Archer property to flip it), Pace didn't directly buy and clear the land for the new NW Garage, but it was on the market for proposed industrial construction. The fact that it had for sale signs for a couple of years led me to the wrong conclusion that Pace was not interested in the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 "Archer Station" retail development planned for the site, anchored by a 40,000 square-foot L.A. Fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 "Archer Station" retail development planned for the site, anchored by a 40,000 square-foot L.A. Fitness. Last part is incorrect, in that 3200 and 800 series air conditioned buses were assigned elsewhere. Maybe they meant 1000s. Or 1000s. Also, LA Ftness seems to be popping up like...... Most of them are precast concrete buildings, so we will have to see if there is a higher standard here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BusHunter Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Got to love how the alderman portrays cta's archer garage like it's septic. He sure don't ride cta!! Just wait until the neighbors find out those fitness places are open 24 hours. They are having a big stink in norridge by me with xsport fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted July 15, 2014 Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Got to love how the alderman portrays cta's archer garage like it's septic. He sure don't ride cta!! Just wait until the neighbors find out those fitness places are open 24 hours. They are having a big stink in norridge by me with xsport fitness. The only connection to your characterization is the reference to environmental remediation, which was part of the buyer's obligation. Undoubtedly, there are toxics there from, if nothing else, a streetcar fire in the barn in 1916, to, I'm sure, no care about environmental consequences of having leaking streetcar trucks, old gasoline and diesel fuel tanks, etc. Also that garage (with noisy buses) ran 24 hours until very recently. I really wonder how the people in the building with a turret next to it put up with it. BTW, XSport caters to punks, and most other fitness centers are not open all night (LA Fitness usually closes about 10-11 p.m. weekdays). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetroShadow Posted July 17, 2014 Report Share Posted July 17, 2014 BTW, XSport caters to punks, and most other fitness centers are not open all night (LA Fitness usually closes about 10-11 p.m. weekdays). As a punk that works out late, I take heavy offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted November 23, 2023 Report Share Posted November 23, 2023 11 hours ago, Sam92 said: Well yeah but archer wasn't exactly in industrial land either ... Maybe to get to a more rational subject. Archer was one of several barns (also 69th, 77th new barn, 38th and Cottage, long demolished) built by Chicago City Railway in the 1907-1908 time frame. Chicago Railways built Limits, Kedzie, North and Cicero, and Lawndale about the same time. (See Chicago Transit and Railfan) The basic theory was to locate them near major routes (i.e. Archer on Archer, 69th on Ashland), and near the end of the line (seemed to reduce deadheading). Limits was at one time the city limits. As bustitution took over, Archer was one of the first to convert to bus (it also had some trolley buses), and, as the city expanded, @andrethebusman99 said there was a proposal to build a new Archer where Curie HS now is (didn't happen). The other thing to consider is that 100-some years ago, people were not as environmentally concerned as they are now, and wanted to live near work--in that area, the Stock Yards and Central Manufacturing District, so a trolley barn was not such a nuisance. At one time I thought that the Stock Yards would have been a better place to consolidate Archer and 69th, but it got redeveloped. You're right that most of the new garages are in industrial districts (74th) or old Streets and Sanitation property (103rd) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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