Chicago and North Western Railway Power House, Chicago

Name: Chicago and North Western Railway Power House
Address: Chicago, United States

#658 among attractions in Chicago

Beaux-Arts architecture

Chicago and North Western Railway Power House

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Map

Chicago and North Western Railway Power House location map

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Facts and practical information

The Chicago and North Western Railway Power House is the historic power house which served the 1911 Chicago and North Western Terminal in Chicago, Illinois. The building was designed by Frost & Granger in 1909; it was mainly designed in the Beaux Arts style but also exhibits elements of the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Construction on the building finished in 1911, the same year the terminal opened. The irregularly shaped building borders Clinton Street, Milwaukee Avenue, Lake Street, and the former Chicago and North Western tracks, which are now used by Metra for its Union Pacific District. The power house was built in cream brick with terra cotta trim, cornices, and ornamentation; the corner of the house at Clinton and Milwaukee features a 227-foot brick smokestack. The building contained four rooms, a large engine room and boiler room and a smaller engineer's office and reception room. The Chicago Tribune reported in 1948 that the power house output enough power to serve a city of 15,000 people. The power house ceased to serve the station in the 1960s, but when the terminal was demolished and replaced by Ogilvie Transportation Center in 1984, the power house survived. It is one of two remaining railroad power houses in Chicago and the only remaining power house for the Chicago and North Western. ()

Architectural style: Renaissance revivalCoordinates: 41°53'11"N, 87°38'28"W

Address

West Side (Near West Side)Chicago United States

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Day trips

Chicago and North Western Railway Power House – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Wolf Point, Civic Opera House, Wells Street Bridge, Kinzie Street Bridge.

~880 ftNE
Park
Wolf Point, Chicago
5 min walk • Wolf Point is the location at the confluence of the North, South and Main Branches of the Chicago River in the present day Near North Side, Loop, and Near West Side community areas of Chicago.
~1690 ftSE
Theater, Opera, Concerts and shows
Civic Opera House, Chicago
9 min walk • The Civic Opera House, also called Lyric Opera House is an opera house located at 20 North Wacker Drive in Chicago. The Civic's main performance space, named for Ardis Krainik, seats 3,563, making it the second-largest opera auditorium in North America, after the Metropolitan Opera House.
~1980 ftE
Bridge
Wells Street Bridge, Chicago
10 min walk • The Wells Street Bridge is a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, which was built in 1922.
~970 ftNE
Bridge
Kinzie Street Bridge, Chicago
5 min walk • The Chicago and North Western Railway's Kinzie Street railroad bridge is a single leaf bascule bridge across the north branch of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its opening in 1908 it was the world's longest and heaviest bascule bridge.
~1460 ftE
Bridge
Franklin Street Bridge, Chicago
8 min walk • The Franklin–Orleans Street Bridge, commonly known as the Franklin Street Bridge, is a bascule bridge over the Chicago River, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was built in October 1920, and is located directly southwest of the Merchandise Mart.
0.4 miE
Theater, Concerts and shows, Opera
Cadillac Palace Theatre, Chicago
12 min walk • The Cadillac Palace Theatre is operated by Broadway In Chicago, a Nederlander company. It is located at 151 West Randolph Street in the Chicago Loop area.
~1450 ftNE
Skyscraper
Merchandise Mart, Chicago
7 min walk • The Merchandise Mart is a commercial building located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it was opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world, with 4 million square feet of floor space. The Art Deco structure is located at the junction of the Chicago River's branches.
~790 ftSE
Skyscraper
150 North Riverside, Chicago
4 min walk • 150 North Riverside Plaza is a highrise building in Chicago, Illinois, completed in 2017. The building is 54 stories tall. The building occupies a two-acre site on the west bank of the Chicago River, whose size and location demanded an unusually small base for the building.
~1710 ftS
Bridge, Opera, Concerts and shows
Lyric Opera, Chicago
9 min walk • The Madison Street Bridge, also known as the Lyric Opera Bridge, is a 1922 bascule bridge that spans the South Branch of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States.
~1060 ftSE
Bridge
Randolph Street Bridge, Chicago
6 min walk • The Randolph Street Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
0.5 miSW
Museum, Art gallery
Kavi Gupta Gallery, Chicago
12 min walk • Kavi Gupta is a contemporary art gallery owned by gallerist Kavi Gupta. Headquartered in the West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, the gallery operates multiple exhibition spaces as well as Kavi Gupta Editions, a publishing imprint and bookstore. Kavi Gupta opened in Chicago in 2000.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which popular attractions are close to Chicago and North Western Railway Power House?

Nearby attractions include Wm. J. Cassidy Tire Building, Chicago (4 min walk), 150 North Riverside, Chicago (4 min walk), Wolf Point, Chicago (5 min walk), Lake Street Bridge, Chicago (5 min walk).

How to get to Chicago and North Western Railway Power House by public transport?

The nearest stations to Chicago and North Western Railway Power House:

Metro

Clinton • Lines: Green, Pink (2 min walk)
Merchandise Mart • Lines: Brown, Purple (11 min walk)

Bus

Jefferson & Lake • Lines: 56 (3 min walk)
Canal & Randolph • Lines: 125, 130 (4 min walk)

Train

Ogilvie Transportation Center (5 min walk)
Chicago Union Station (14 min walk)