Why aren there public restrooms in “L” stations?
Many, though not all, “L” stations were outfitted with public restrooms until the 1950s. The Dearborn Subway, opened in 1951 (but designed in the late 1930s and early 1940s) was the last line to open whose stations had public restrooms. The next line to be designed — the Congress Line, opened in 1958 — began the trend of omitting this feature in new stations. Since then, existing public restrooms have been closed, most in the 1970s. Today, the only restrooms outfitted in “L” stations are for employee use, and existing restrooms have been converted to this function as well.The basic reason why restrooms are omitted in new stations and closed (to the public) in existing ones is the lack of funds to maintain the facilities, which the public can be rather rough on. In the post-World War II era, security in the restrooms also became a concern, compounding the maintenance issue and leading to the closure of the existing facilities.
Many, though not all, “L” stations were outfitted with public restrooms until the 1950s. The Dearborn Subway, opened in 1951 (but designed in the late 1930s and early 1940s) was the last line to open whose stations had public restrooms. The next line to be designed — the Congress Line, opened in 1958 — began the trend of omitting this feature in new stations. Since then, existing public restrooms have been closed, most in the 1970s. Today, the only restrooms outfitted in “L” stations are for employee use, and existing restrooms have been converted to this function as well. The basic reason why restrooms are omitted in new stations and closed (to the public) in existing ones is the lack of funds to maintain the facilities, which the public can be rather rough on. In the post-World War II era, security in the restrooms also became a concern, compounding the maintenance issue and leading to the closure of the existing facilities. In the September 27, 2005 edition of the Red Eye, CTA® sp
