Quincy is one of the most unique stations and is the only station in the loop given a historical restoration from 1985-1988 (with the station closed for about three years) to look as close as possible to when it opened in 1897. As part of the agreement with the loop being placed on the National Register of the Historic Places, Quincy was restored while all other stations on the loop can be modified by the CTA and have the rest of their historical portions removed.
The stations two platforms don't presently have a free crossover or under (although there was an overpass until the 1980s). The platform walls are all painted brown with ornate railings towards the center of the platforms and conventional steel truss ones towards the ends. All signage is a unique old style all capitals white on a dark purple, this includes signs listing the names of the routes which include a small image of a biplane next to the Orange Line to Midway Instead of the more modern Airport Graphic. The only more modern ones are the Stop! No Entry signs before exit only staircases. The lampposts though look less original with some looking like attempted reproductions and others ugly, boxy modern ones just painted brown. There are reproductions of historic ads dotting platforms in wooden frames to add more to the historical design.
The platforms are both canopied for most of their lengths except for a few cars towards their northern ends. In the middle, each platform has a restored station house with tons of wooden paneling and white walls with intricate tinwork designs. There are two separate short banks of turnstiles, one at each end of the doors that lead to separate doors out to the platforms. A wide ticket window (now unused since all fares are purchased at Vending Machines) is in middle between the entrance area and the platform. A wide staircase leads down to more doors out to start going down to the street. A few steps down it spits becoming two separate staircases that continue down to a simple mezzanine level of passageways. There are two more exit only staircases down from each platform between the station house and the platform down to the mezzanine: these have high turnstiles at either the top of the staircase along the platform or after going downstairs to mezzanine. One modern convenience on the mezzanine is an ATM. The train timetables here are unique with the old style font for the station name. The mezzanine in turn leads out to street stairs down to all four corners of Quincy and Wells. There are three more secondary exits, each has a high exit only turnstile directly on the platform before a street stair. Two are at the southern end of what was once the original platform canopy (and where the platforms narrow although the canopy continues). These staircases lead down to each side of Wells just north of Adams Street. Towards the northern end of the Inner Loop platform only, where the canopy ends is another high exit only turnstile directly on the platform to a streetstair down to the middle of the block between Jackson and Quincy (the sign above it says 'Stop! Enter ½ block South!').
The station was renovated again, and elevators were added, between 2016 through 2018. These elevators were added in a way that complement the historical nature of the station well. Two brown elevator shafts lead directly up to platform level from each side of Wells Street, just north of the exit only staircases down to Jackson Street from the southern ends of the platforms. The elevators are labeled for the Brown Line or Orange, Purple, Pink Lines only. At platform level each elevator leads to a fairly long walkway that leads into the southern end of the station house that provides all access to elevator passengers.
Photos 1-30: 17 July, 2009, 31-56: 3 August, 2011, 57-68: 4 July, 2013; 69-86: 17 March, 2019; 87-90: 22 September, 2019
