The old, rusty water tower in the Chicago Transit Authority rail yard at the Green Line’s terminus came down over the weekend.
Forest Park and River Forest residents have long complained about the stories-tall eyesore. According to officials, the village has been trying to get the CTA to take down the water tower for over a decade with no success.
While the CTA has long told surrounding municipalities that they intended to remove the water tower, they’ve finally held true to their promise.
“This took years to get the CTA to fast track the water tower’s removal from a larger project to redo the entire CTA site,” Mayor Rory Hoskins said. The CTA plans to redo the rest of the Harlem train yard in the future.
The water tower dates back to the 1960s but hasn’t been used to wash train cars that are stored and serviced at the rail yard for years.
The CTA planned and paid for the water tower’s removal — estimated to cost $175,000 — at the northeast corner of Forest Park.