So, like, next time you’re wandering around Chicago’s Loop, you should totally check out Randolph and State Streets. Look up, and you’ll see this tall building, “Block 37,” that has apartments and shops. It’s pretty cool, right? But wait, look down now. Imagine if you could see through the sidewalk, you’d find this massive underground government structure beneath you. It’s like the size of a football field, or something.
A while back, NBC 5 Investigates spilled the tea on this secret underground spot. It’s hidden under the stores, offices, pedway, and even the subways. Originally, they were building it to be this fancy “superstation,” a swanky train spot to zip folks to the airports. But guess what? It turned into a huge, unfinished, deserted money pit. Bummer, right?
David Greising, the Big Cheese at the Better Government Association, used to be a reporter in Chicago. He once went down to see this place for himself. He described it like being in a cave that’s been deserted for ages. Kinda spooky, huh?
So, about 20 years ago, the city was all like, “Let’s build something awesome under Block 37!” They thought it was a grand idea. But just like the building above ground, this superstation project just wouldn’t finish up. They’d already spent over $400 million in taxpayer money on the construction alone. And they were talking about needing another $1.5 billion to actually make it work. Yikes!
In 2010, during the Great Recession, they decided to put the brakes on the whole thing. The city closed it up, and now it’s this locked-up, mysterious place. People have given it nicknames like “The Batcave,” “The Money Pit,” or even “Moria” from Lord of the Rings. But NBC 5 Investigates called it “The Superstation to Nowhere.” Pretty fitting, don’t you think?
Then, out of nowhere in 2018, there was a twist. Journalists got invited to a press conference down in the abandoned station. And who’s there? Elon Musk and the then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel. They were all like, “We’re gonna do something with this place!” What a plot twist!
Mayor Emanuel was still hopeful about turning the hole-in-the-ground into something amazing. He sent out requests for ideas, and Musk was all in. With his Boring Company, Tesla, and Space-X, Musk had this plan to create a whole new transport system. It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie!
Musk showed off these fancy animations of people in a renovated superstation, boarding glass pods that zoom through underground tubes at crazy speeds. It was all about getting to the airport in just twelve minutes. Sounds like a wild ride, right?
But here’s the kicker: Musk promised to do all of this without a single penny of public money. Sounds too good to be true, huh? Well, turns out it kinda was. Over the next few years, nothing much happened with Musk’s big plan. Mayor Emanuel left, and the new leaders weren’t interested. Musk moved on to other things, like buying Twitter and cutting budgets for the government.
But here’s the thing: the city used federal money to pay off the loans for the abandoned superstation. And if it never becomes a real transport hub, the government might want that money back. So far, though, no one’s asked for it. So, for now, the place is locked up again, with no future in sight.
And that’s the tale of Chicago’s Superstation to Nowhere. Who knows what’ll happen next? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
