Chicago Construction News staff writer
The new CTA Damen Green Line station at Lake Street and Damen Avenue is now open, 76 years after the original station closed. The new facility meets a need for improved transit options on the Near West Side and fills a 1.5 mile service gap between Ashland and California stops, restoring rail service to the neighborhood for the first time since the original station was closed at this location in 1948.
The $80 million TIF-funded project was administered by CDOT in close collaboration with the CTA. The construction contractor was F.H. Paschen. The station was designed by Perkins&Will, a Chicago-based global architecture and design firm known for innovative transit station projects from British Columbia to Chongqing City, China.
Construction materials and design elements were chosen and arranged to create an intuitive user experience and to allow for a long-lasting transit facility with low-maintenance requirements.
A grand stair and escalator, visible through the transparent glass façade, guide passengers to the platform level and a glass bridge connects the inbound and outbound train platforms, offering spectacular views of the Chicago skyline and orienting visitors to neighborhood destinations and attractions. The bridge’s visible structure references Chicago’s iconic steel bridges.
The station serves the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, the United Center, Malcolm X College, and the surrounding residential area on the growing Near West Side, including the Chicago Housing Authority’s Westhaven Park IID, a $50 million, equitable transit-oriented development (eTOD) project adding 96 mixed-income apartments in the community.
“Damen Green Line is more than a rail station, it is a stunning, modern and accessible gateway to Chicago’s West Side that will provide improved connections to transit and opportunities for all those who live and work in the surrounding communities,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “This project is a reflection of the CTA’s and City’s shared commitment to ensuring everyone has equitable access to opportunities.”
The new station also features a large mural by artist, Folayemi Wilson, that highlights the rich history of various ethnic groups on the Near West Side. The mural depicts a scene on the prairie with images of young people taken from local photographic archives peering towards the horizon and imagining their future. Wilson was commissioned for the work by the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
The CTA includes artwork in its new stations to not only further enhance the space, but also create a connection with the surrounding community and inspire those who travel through the facility.
