Lecture Exhibition
Parallel Tracks: The Design and Development of the CTA in Relation to the Paris Métro
Wednesday, September 27 6:00-7:00pm Buy Tickets General Admission: $20|| Members: $15 || Student: $10
Chicago’s famous ‘L’ train system — with its first line dating to 1892 — has a rich history of design, spanning station architecture (including some little-noticed subtle touches and flourishes), passenger amenities, and how the service is named and branded. How did Chicago’s rapid transit design work compare to Hector Guimard’s famous entrances for the Paris Métro? Transit professional and historian Graham Garfield will explore Chicago’s elevated design history, with an eye toward elements that compare, contrast, or evoke Guimard’s work in Paris, including design aesthetics, concepts of mass production of decorative work, and amenities to enhance the public experience on mass transit.
Please note: Due to the ongoing renovations next door at the Murphy Auditorium, the Driehaus Museum elevator is unavailable to staff and guests, including access to the Third Floor Ballroom, where this event will be.
About the Speaker:
Graham Garfield is a transit professional, with background in planning, operations, design and history. Working for CTA since 1999, his current role is coordinating the CTA’s $2.1B Red-Purple Modernization project construction with the agency’s service planning, operations, and customer information. Graham has previously held management positions in CTA’s Facilities, Construction and Rail Operations departments, and for 12 years lead the agency’s Customer Information unit, overseeing signage, branding, publications and graphics, and digital and social media. He also manages CTA’s Heritage Fleet Program, which preserves a group of vintage railcars and buses for public use. Graham is a recognized historian on Chicago transit, and has published several articles in print, lectured on Chicago transit history, architecture, and design, and runs a comprehensive historical website about Chicago’s rapid transit system.
Image credit: Chicago Transit Authority