Wisconsin Ave.

History:

Wisconsin Ave. was a local station on the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway's main line located near the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Harrison Street in Oak Park. This station was constructed as one of a series of closely spaced stations in Oak Park and Austin that were mandated by the AE&C's franchise to pass through Cicero Township.

On August 25, 1902, the AE&C began operating between Aurora and 52nd [Laramie] Avenue on the outskirts of Chicago, however no service to this location was provided at that time. Wisconsin Avenue ended up being one of several stops that opened shortly afterward, entering service by October.1

The stop itself was typical of stations on the early AE&C, consisting of a pair of low level platforms capable of berthing a single car.

Ultimately, Wisconsin proved to be one of the shortest lived stations on the railroad (if not the shortest). On March 11, 1905, the Metropolitan “L” assumed control of the operation of the main line between 52nd Avenue and the Des Plaines River, replacing the interurban with its own rapid transit service.2 Unlike every other stop on this segment, Wisconsin did not become a station on the Garfield Park line; instead it was replaced with two new stations: Harlem and Home, two blocks west and east, respectively.