LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse (Chicago) facts for kids
The LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse is a special building in Chicago, Illinois. You can find it at 500 North LaSalle Street. This building is one of the few remaining parts of Chicago's old cable car system. In the 1890s, this system was one of the biggest in the United States. Thousands of cable cars ran on 82 miles of tracks!
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What Was the Powerhouse For?
This three-story building was built in 1886-1887. The North Chicago Street Railroad Company built it for about $35,000. At that time, the area around it had many small factories and warehouses. The powerhouse stood out as a very important building.
A historian named Greg Borzo called it "the crown jewel of Chicago’s cable car remnants." This means it's the most important piece left of the old cable car system. The powerhouse had big machines inside that pulled long, strong cables. These cables moved the cable cars.
How Did the Cables Work?
The LaSalle Street Powerhouse controlled two main cables. One cable pulled cars through a tunnel under the Chicago River and around the downtown area. The other, shorter cable pulled cars along Illinois Street. These cables helped thousands of cable cars move every day. At their busiest, they brought about 100,000 people into downtown Chicago each day for work.
Impact on Chicago's Growth
The cable car system, powered by buildings like the LaSalle Street Powerhouse, helped Chicago grow very quickly. It made it easier for people to travel from the North Side neighborhoods into the city center. This was a time when Chicago was expanding fast.
Cable cars were used in Chicago until 1906. After that, other forms of transportation became more common.
A Historic Landmark Today
On June 27, 2001, the LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse was named a Chicago Landmark. This means it's a very important building that should be protected. Today, the old powerhouse is a restaurant. It used to be Michael Jordan's Restaurant until the year 2000.
