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Clinton is the last underground station on the Dearborn Street Subway although it opened with the line in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway in 1958, not in 1951 when the rest of the subway opened with LaSalle as the temporary southern terminus. The stop is the closest 'L' station to Union Station located two blocks north and one block west of the station, signs on the mezzanine direct passengers to this (with Amtrak, Pace, Metra, and CTA logos) and to the Greyhound Station a block south and two east. The station has four streetstairs with the ads above the original and simple now blue painted railings located on each side of Clinton Street in its underpass beneath the Eisenhower Expressway making them quite dimly lit and the station hard to find. (On my trips to Chicago only on my one trip when I stopped to photograph this station coming from Union Station have I actually used the Clinton Blue Line Station, every other time I simply walked into the Loop and got on somewhere there).
Entering the station passengers reach a tiny little mezzanine with mostly original, grey cinder blocked-sized tile walls. There is light blue text for the various sides of Clinton before turnstiles, next to an original cashiers booth, lead to a double set of single person sized escalators and a staircase down to near the eastern end of an island platform, that is fairly deep underground. This island platform has the usual white arced roof with a line of florescent lights embedded in it. There are similar arches along the dark tracks. Signage is unique with illuminated Clinton signs in a modern looking font hanging from the ceiling in blue fixtures. This compliments pillar signs and hard to see track wall signs opposite the platform. Similar tiled pillars are along the escalators up to leave the platform and Clinton/Congress is written in light blue tiles.
All Photos Take on 2 November, 2012
