The Damen Green Line L stop will open next week.
The station, at Lake Street and Damen Avenue, will fill a 1.5-mile gap between the Ashland and California stops. It is set to open Aug. 5, a Chicago Department of Transportation spokesman told the Chicago Sun-Times.
It’s been more than seven years since plans for the station were announced. The stop is less than a half-mile walk from the United Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held Aug. 19-22. But this isn’t the first time an L has stopped at this location. The city closed a station there 76 years ago.
“This long-awaited addition to the city’s rail network will not only close a critical gap between existing stations, but will also provide essential access for area residents, workers and visitors,” said Ted Villaire, a spokesman for the Active Transportation Alliance. “This fully accessible station represents an important step toward a more connected and inclusive Chicago.”
The newly constructed Damen Green Line at the intersection of North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street on the Near West Side.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The $80 million project is being led by the city’s Department of Transportation and funded by the Kinzie Industrial Corridor Tax Increment Financing District. The station was designed by Chicago-based architecture firm Perkins & Will.
CTA officials said in June that the stop will be fully accessible. The 5,000-square-foot station will feature a mural, escalators, elevators on both sides of the platform and a pedestrian walkway over the tracks.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced plans for the station in 2017. It was originally set to open in 2020, but delays have delayed construction for years. Previous official statements put the cost of the new station at around $50 million.
Construction didn’t begin until August 2022, Block Club Chicago reported at the time, with delays due to the pandemic and supply chain issues partly to blame.
One of the city’s first L stops, originally called Robey Station, stood at this site from 1893 to 1948. It was one of ten stations along Lake Street that closed in 1948 due to low ridership and to speed up service, according to an April 1948 Chicago Tribune article.
The Morgan stop at Lake Street also closed in 1948. The city opened the station to the Green and Pink lines in 2012.
The newly constructed Damen Green Line at the intersection of North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street on the Near West Side.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The newly constructed Damen Green Line at the intersection of North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street on the Near West Side.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The newly constructed Damen Green Line stops at the intersection of North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street on the Near West Side.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
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