Blog: A Historic Recount of Chicago's CTA Blue Line for the HOKA ONE ONE Run the L Challenge by Fleet Feet Co-Owner Lisa Zimmer

As a partner with HOKA ONE ONE on this virtual challenge, I, Lisa Zimmer, co-owner of Fleet Feet Chicago have been chosen to take you on a journey of the Blue Line. As lifelong Chicagoans, my husband and I grew up riding the Blue Line. In 1996 we jumped to the Brown Line and opened Fleet Feet in the Old Town neighborhood.

As you embark on your running journey of the Blue Line’s 26.93-mile-long (43.34 km) Chicago "L" which extends through the Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway and across the West Side to its southwest end at Forest Park you will pass a total of 33 stations and countless culturally diverse and historic neighborhoods.

The beginning of the Blue Line

The Blue Line was created in 1958, then called the West-Northwest Route. The biggest news in Chicago that year was the tragic fire at Our Lady Of the Angels School. News in the world included the U.S. launching its first satellite, Explorer I; NASA was established. Vice President Richard Nixon's goodwill tour of South America sparks open protests and rioting.

The Blue Line has served as a feeder to the city from the world. As you enter Chicago through the gates of O’Hare you know that the Blue Line will get you to downtown and beyond with connections to almost anywhere that can be made from this working line of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

My connection to the Blue Line runs through my life. I was raised near the Kennedy Expressway Addison Station. If you grew up in Chicago in the 1970s, you know that churches and L stops helped to define neighborhoods. To this day some of my family live just a few blocks from the Blue Line. As a young girl, I remember walking to the end of Lawndale Street at the Kennedy Expressway and counting the L cars as the Blue Line approached and then zipped away.

In doing research for this article I rediscovered neighborhoods and historic landmarks along the Blue Line that will enhance your Blue Line 26.93 mile journey.

O'Hare and Jefferson Park

If you begin at O’Hare four stops in you will hear the conductor yell out Jefferson Park.  This was widely (before the extension to O’Hare) known as the true gateway to the city as transfers to busses and other L lines could be made here.

Jefferson Park is the home of the historic former Gateway Theatre Movie Palace, which I remember going to as a kid and then in my 20’s and 30’s seeing bands perform. The theater is now part of the Copernicus Center which still serves the community today as a performing arts center. Built in 1930 it has been host to numerous concerts, theatrical performances, politicians, classes, seminars, community meetings, and cultural events throughout the years. 

(Old) Irving Park

Your run will take you into the (Old) Irving Park neighborhood and then if you were indeed riding the L there would be a flurry of activity as you hear – “Addison, Addison.” Now, this is the most exciting to me as it always meant I was home, on my way to school, or headed to a Cubs game!  Addison was the first station in the median of the Kennedy Expressway located between the Avondale neighborhood and Irving Park neighborhood. This station was part of the extension of the Blue Line headed to O’hare and was built in 1970 and renovated in 2016.

As your run takes you through these neighborhoods you may see several parks – Athletic Field is to the East of the L, Avondale Park is just south, Independence Park just a bit North and East near the Irving Park Road stop. The Villa neighborhood just Northeast of Addison and Pulaski boasts a great little pocket with large brick bungalows – worth a side trip or plan your route through this neighborhood.

Logan Square

As you run past Belmont and then into Logan Square you’ll take in the grand old boulevards of yesteryear.  Named after the famed General John A. Logan, who was an American soldier and politician.  In the center of the square, there is a 70 foot tall marble Doric column that was built to celebrate the 100^th year of Illinois Statehood.  In 1918 Evelyn Longman sculpted it out of a single piece of Tennessee-pink marble and it was designed by Henry Bacon who designed architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. 

You will also have the chance to run by several awe-inspiring churches like the Minnekirken a historic Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church,  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, St Sylvester Catholic Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

As you run down Milwaukee Avenue between California and Western you will find the Greetings from Chicago Mural which was painted in 2015 and it is totally screaming stop for a selfie and post it!

Bucktown and Wicker Park

Your Blue Line run continues through Bucktown and into Wicker Park as your feet hit the sidewalk think about how Bucktown got its name.  It was originally called Kozie Prery (Goat Prairie), in the early 1900s, the Polish immigrants raised 100s of goats here, hence the name! 

The Horween Leather Company has been on Elston Avenue since it was founded in 1905. It is still a family run business. The brick leather and tannery factory stretch one full block and are 5 stories-tall. If you are adventurous you can run around the building and find some cool murals.

From Bucktown to Wicker Park – Western to Damen- you will come near the new 606 trail. Hop on for a few extra miles!

The next 4 stops on the Blue Line are Damen, Division, Chicago, and Grand you’ll run through several very unique neighborhoods that boasted the heart of industry and commerce in the growth of Chicago. Now, these neighborhoods are vibrant residential areas with unique nightlife and boutiques, filled with historic brownstones and bungalows - Wicker Park, East Village, Noble Square, and Fulton River District.

The Loop

Your journey now takes a turn towards the heart of downtown and the financial district before heading to the southwest side of the city.  When the conductor calls out Clark/Lake transfer to the brown, green, orange, purple, pink lines and buses – I knew it was time to put my book in my briefcase and make my move to the exits and start thinking about my workday.  From my Junior year in college until I was 30 I worked in the loop at Madison and Wells and this was my cue to transfer or stay on if I wanted a bit more walk time to the office.

Your run from Grand to Clark/Lake will take you across the river and into the center of the Loop The magnificent Chicago City Hall, Daley Plaza and the Picasso are your backdrops at this station.  The current City Hall building is actually 2 buildings and dates back to 1905.  It was built with 21 million pounds of structural steel.  Its gray Woodbury granite and terra cotta exterior look back to ancient times. The architects used the classical Corinthian order with colonnades of outsized, purely decorative, 75-foot high columns. Each column was nine feet in diameter and hollow with twelve-foot-tall capitals—the largest in the world at the time. So, give a quick run around and check it from all sides. 

As you pass the Washington station you will have the opportunity to see the Picasso. Yes, it is just known as the Picasso I guess he could not come up with a better name than his own!  Iconic on postcards, books, and everything Chicago this sculpture was dedicated in 1967, it weighs 162 tons and is 50 feet tall. During my days in the Loop this was a favorite summer spot for a quick picnic lunch and some of the best people watching! Daley Plaza houses the eternal flame which was lit in 1972 and dedicated to those who served in our Armed Forces.

Run on Dearborn past Monroe and Jackson you will be truly in the city caverns of Chicago as the streets are narrow and the buildings are tall and close.  When you turn west on LaSalle you will skirt the financial district with the impressive Board of Trade building.  The LaSalle Station has always been a hot spot for local buskers as the acoustics at the underground station and the vast number of commuters make it the perfect location.

Heading west

Now that you have completed your tour of the Loop it is time to cross back over the river and keep heading west. The next stop on the other side of the river is Clinton, just a short run south and you will find Fleet Feet South Loop at Roosevelt Collection and then your route will need to veer either North to Van Buren or South to Harrison to cross the 290/90 interchange. Van Buren will take you on the outskirts of Greektown while Harrison will run you through the Center East neighborhood as you approach the UIC -Halsted station. 

Passing through UIC campus take note that it is a highly acclaimed research institution with 16 different colleges and some of the buildings are very unique as they all hail from different eras through the late 20^th century.  As you leave campus and head further west past the Racine Stop you enter the Illinois Medical District at the beginning of the medical corridor featuring Rush University Medical Center.

The suburbs

Western, Kedzie/Homan stops run you just south of East Garfield Park, Columbus Park, and past the Austin stop into the first suburban stop – Oak Park. Fleet Feet Oak Park is not too far off your course – so if you need to stop in and get any supplies or refresh your HOKA ONE ONE this is the perfect opportunity.  We opened the Oak Park store in 2015 and love being a part of this vibrant, exciting community. The Village of Oak Park was settled in 1835 and later become the home to legendary architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. He purchased a wooded corner lot and built his personal home, a modest residence reminiscent of the East Coast shingle style with its prominent roof gable. It also reflected Wright’s ingenuity as he experimented with geometric shapes and volumes.  Wright created over 1,100 structures spanning a 70-year career. As you run through Oak Park see if you can pick some out and the ones that are styled after his.

Traveling further west through Oak Park, past the Harlem stop you enter into Forest Park and the end of the Blue Line. Or in this instance maybe the beginning as you hop on and ride it home!  Ferrara Pan Candy – Lemon Heads! Near the Harlem stop you might be able to smell the candy and you can definitely see the factory.  What a perfect way to end your run and this tour of the Chicago Blue Line – I think I’ll go put on my HOKAs and go for a run!