Merchandise Mart 320N 200W | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 350 NorthWells Street Chicago, Illinois 60654 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°53′19″N87°38′02″W / 41.888675°N 87.633966°W /41.888675; -87.633966 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Chicago Transit Authority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | North Side Main Line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2Side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Elevated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform levels | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | December 5, 1930; 94 years ago (1930-12-05) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1987–1988; 37 years ago (1988) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | 1,247,670[1]  7.3% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Merchandise Mart[2][3] is astation on theChicago Transit Authority's'L' system, located in theNear North Side neighborhood at 350 North Wells Street inChicago, Illinois (directional coordinates 320 north, 200 west). The station is elevated above street level, on a steel structure. Theturnstiles and customer assistant booth of the station are located on the second level of theMerchandise Mart itself. This is the main entrance to the station.
There are two fare-card only, unattended entrances atop two long stairways accessed directly from Wells Street, just north of Kinzie Avenue. The station is constructed mostly of steel, with wooden platforms covered by a canopy most of their length. There are two side platforms both long enough to support eight-car trains, the longest possible on the CTA system. The southbound platform is just slightly below the level of the station entrance while an enclosed bridge over the tracks connects to the northbound platform on the opposite side.
The station is fullyaccessible, resulting in a complicatedelevator setup. The elevator on the southbound platform can lower from the entrance to the platform, as well as go up to the top of the bridge. Another elevator on the opposite side of the bridge lowers to the northbound platform.
Kinzie was astation on theNorthwestern Elevated Railroad's North Side Main Line. The station was located at Kinzie Street and Wells Street in theNear North Side neighborhood ofChicago. Its location once served the nearby C&NW passenger terminal,Wells Street Station, prior to the 1911 opening of a new C&NW terminal at today'sOgilvie Transportation Center.[4]
Kinzie opened on May 31, 1900,[5] and closed in 1921; it was replaced by theGrand station.[6] Today, Kinzie Street is serviced byBrown Line andPurple Line Express trains at Merchandise Mart station.
The current station opened on December 5, 1930, and was rebuilt from 1987 to 1988. Until 1963 the station also servedinterurban trains of theNorth Shore Line. The primary purpose of the station is to serve theMerchandise Mart, one of the world's largest commercial buildings, although there are some galleries and restaurants nearby.
Merchandise Mart serves the Brown Line, but Purple Line Express trains also stop at the station during weekday rush hours. Merchandise Mart was the only Brown Line station that did not receive upgrades or renovation during the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project. Due its recent construction from 1987 to 1988, the station was already accessible to passengers with disabilities and of sufficient length to accommodate eight-car trains, thus no major renovation was needed during the project.
Media related toMerchandise Mart (CTA) at Wikimedia Commons
