East Van Buren Street

Gazing down East Van Buren Street in Chicago, one can almost hear the clatter of horse-drawn carriages and the rumble of early streetcars. East Van Buren Street, named after President Martin Van Buren, holds a captivating history intertwined with Chicago’s growth and transportation evolution. This street, designated as 400 South in Chicago’s grid system, lies next to Jackson Boulevard, named for Van Buren’s close associate, Andrew Jackson. The Van Buren Street Bridge, a vital artery, carries the street over the Chicago River. Interestingly, the southern part of the Loop, Chicago’s central business district, is situated right above East Van Buren Street. The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, a precursor to the Chicago “L”, built its main line and Garfield Park branch alongside East Van Buren Street in 1895. These lines extended westward from the Loop. Decades later, in the 1950s, these lines were replaced by the Congress Line, nestled in the median of the Congress Superhighway, built in the same location. Before the electric streetcar era, a horsecar line operated on East Van Buren Street. Electrification arrived in 1896, extending the line west from State Street to Kedzie Street. This streetcar line competed directly with the Metropolitan Elevated, attracting passengers, especially during summer, with its open-air cars. Into the late night and early morning hours, the Van Buren streetcar route provided “owl service.” Between 1:03 a.m. and 4:42 a.m., cars ran at intervals of 15 to 30 minutes. In 1937, the Van Buren route was connected with the Division Street streetcar service, located a couple of miles north, via downtown. This joint service continued until 1951. Then, buses replaced the streetcars on Division Street. For a short period, the Van Buren streetcars ran independently again. However, by August 1951, buses had fully replaced streetcars on East Van Buren Street. The street echoes with stories of transportation transformation, from horse-drawn carriages to elevated trains and electric streetcars, showcasing East Van Buren Street’s integral role in Chicago’s dynamic past.