Discover The History Of The 606 At The Hideout Tonight

By Gina Provenzano in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 8, 2014 4:00PM

Artist rendering of The 606 at Milwaukee and Leavitt courtesy The 606

It's hard to believe that up until 2001, trains still roared through the Bloomingdale Railroad Line. The now-abandoned elevated track more commonly known as The 606, was originally constructed in 1837 and as many know is now deep in the construction phase of converting from abandoned track into a 2.7-greenway park. The city envisions the park to run similarly to Paris’ Promenade Plantée or New York City’s The High Line and will run through Wicker Park, Bucktown, Humboldt Park and Logan Square. Unfortunately due to a particularly brutal winter packed with Polar Vortexes, construction of the track has been delayed and its grand opening as a recreational park for bikers, runners and walkers is now slated for June 2015.

Thankfully those anxiously awaiting the trail’s opening can learn more about the track’s origins and rich history tonight at The Hideout. Hosted by The Trust for Public Land, the talk entitled A Trail Through Chicago’s Manufacturing History will dive into how the track initially helped goods connect to the Chicago River, its moved above street-level, how it helped strengthen the city’s industrial growth, while also shaping the boundaries of Chicago’s Northwest side neighborhoods.

Historian and lecturer Jim Peters of School of The Art Institute and University of Illinois at Chicago will lead the conversation. For more updates on The 606’s progress, or for information on other talks hosted through The Trust for Public Land’s Trail Mix Series, visit The 606 site.

The Hideout is located at 1354 W. Wabansia Ave, 6:30 p.m., and while the event is currently "sold out" of RSVPs you can add your name to the waitlist (they have been releasing tickets as people cancel).