Street-level tracks on Elm Street, 1938.
Danger at the Crossings
As village engineer, Frank Windes was involved in several projects that shaped the trajectory of Winnetka’s development. One monumental project was the lowering of the train tracks below street level.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, transportation developments and population growth brought prosperity to Winnetka. As more pedestrians and vehicles filled the streets, however, the potential for danger at the railroad crossings grew as well.
Several prominent Winnetkans, including Frank Windes, began advocating for a grade separation between the train tracks and streets. They recognized that street-level trains posed a threat to residents and had a divisive impact on community cohesion.
In 1906, Windes designed a plan to depress the tracks below street level and build bridges for pedestrians and vehicles to cross over top. At the same time, he and other prominent Winnetkans worked to educate citizens about the benefits of the plan.
While the project garnered support, no moves were made to depress the tracks for decades. During that time, fears about the dangers of the street-level tracks were realized. Between 1910 and 1921 alone, 44 people were killed or seriously injured at the crossings.
Winnetka Talk, February 10, 1923.
Frank Windes shovels the first dirt of the track depression project, 1938.
Lowering the Tracks
Support for the project renewed after the 1921 Plan of Winnetka urged the village to move forward, yet with the onset of the Great Depression, the project stalled. It took a terrible accident to renew the village’s desire to lower the tracks.
On Halloween night in 1937, two young women were killed by an unscheduled, dark train at the Pine Street crossing. Public outrage demanded immediate action.
Fortunately, proponents of the project had the support of Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, a former Winnetka resident, who persuaded the federal government to contribute $1.5 million as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. With an additional $900,000 from the railroad companies (due to the steep incline from Wilmette to Winnetka) and $1 million from the village, excavation for the depressed tracks began in 1938. Frank Windes, the mastermind from the beginning, shoveled the first dirt to launch the project.
The entire undertaking, including miles of tracks, seven bridges, and three new stations, was completed in 1943. Windes was able to witness the positive impact of the project for a decade before he passed away in 1953. In 1999, the Elm Street bridge, based on Windes’ design, was dedicated in his memory.
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