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Explores the history of Beverly/Morgan Park Metra stations, including their original names and architectural styles

This postcard was submitted to the RHS page with the question of which stop was this?

Answer: The 91st Street stop was originally called Beverly Hills. This is along the Metra line and this charming station still stands. It was built ca. 1889 by architects Charnley and Evans in the Queen Anne style.

The original train line runs to the east of Beverly/Morgan Park. In the 1870s, and expanded later, a branch of this line was extended west to the developing Ridge. The stations along the line were named:

Beverly Hills (91st), Longwood (95th), Walden (99th), Tracy (103rd), Belmont (107th), Morgan Park (111th), and Raymond (115th). The 103rd and 115th Sts. stations are now gone. The others comprise the Beverly/Morgan Park Railroad Stations District, an official historic landmark district in the City of Chicago. This is considered a "thematic" district because the buildings are connected by purpose, not by location.

The stations were designed to go along with the architecture of the houses being built on the Ridge, and replaced original frame stations. The stations are rare survivors of once-common commuter stations and are an important link in the historical development of the community.