51st was built in 1892 when the
South Side Elevated Railroad extended its line southward to serve the
World's Columbian Exposition. The original station was designed by
Myron H. Church and was a
brick building with some elements of the
Queen Anne style and a half-cone
bay. The platforms at 51st were constructed like all other South Side Elevated Railroad platforms and consisted of wooden platforms with a tin canopy. When the A/B skip-stop system was introduced in 1949, 51st became an AB station. Because
Garfield and
58th were B and A stations respectively, 51st became the transfer point between the Englewood (A) and Jackson Park (B) branches of the South Side Elevated. It served as the transfer point until 1982, when Garfield became an AB station. 51st closed in 1990, so its original canopies could be removed. The station underwent renovation during the 1994-96 Green Line closure, and its station house was replaced with a modern station house with a white and green tile facade. The platforms were also rebuilt, and steel and glass platforms replaced the old wooden ones. Construction at 51st was not completed until 1997, a year after the Green Line reopened. ==Services==