Newly Built Damen Green Line CTA Station, Located Half Mile From United Center, Begins Service – Just in Time for the DNC

Mayor Brandon Johnson, center, joined project leaders and other city officials for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly built Damen Green Line ‘L’ station on Aug. 5, 2024. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)Mayor Brandon Johnson, center, joined project leaders and other city officials for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly built Damen Green Line ‘L’ station on Aug. 5, 2024. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

The newly built Damen station on the Green Line opened for service Monday morning — two weeks ahead of Chicago hosting the Democratic National Convention at the nearby United Center.

The Damen ‘L’ station, located at North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street, connects a 1.5-mile gap of service that existed between the California and Ashland stations on the Green Line.

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The $80 million, TIF-funded station comes seven years after plans were initially announced by then-Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. The station was originally slated to open in 2020, but was held up due to delays relating to extensive advance work, supply chain issues and permitting, according to Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson Erica Schroeder.

Mayor Brandon Johnson joined project leaders and other city officials for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new station Monday. The opening of the station is another step in the city reversing historic disinvestment in communities on the West Side, Johnson said.

The station restores rail service in the area for the first time in 76 years. A station previously operated at the same location before it closed in 1948.

“Accessible, reliable, affordable public transit is how we connect the people on the Near West Side to opportunities beyond their neighborhoods,” Johnson said. “And we connect all Chicagoans to the incredible community areas on the West Side.”

Ald. Walter Burnett (27th Ward), Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter and CDOT Commissioner Tom Carney also gave remarks and participated in Monday's ceremony.

Heading south, the station is about a half mile from the United Center, Malcolm X College and the Illinois Medical District. Just north, the station is a half mile away from the Kinzie Industrial Corridor and the West Town neighborhood.

“It will improve travel in the area by providing visitors a new means of getting to and from Bulls and Blackhawks games, concerts and other special events at the United Center, including the upcoming Democratic National Convention,” Carter said.

The DNC will be held Aug. 19-22 with main events taking place at the United Center and McCormick Place.

The station will also help to support and continue growth in an area that has experienced significant residential and commercial development in recent years, Carter added.

The Damen ‘L’ station, located at North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street, connects a 1.5 mile gap of service that existed between the California and Ashland stations on the Green Line. The station restores rail service in the area for the first time in 76 years. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)The Damen ‘L’ station, located at North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street, connects a 1.5 mile gap of service that existed between the California and Ashland stations on the Green Line. The station restores rail service in the area for the first time in 76 years. (Eunice Alpasan / WTTW News)

The ADA complaint station features a glass pedestrian bridge with a view of the Chicago skyline that connects the inbound and outbound platforms. The Damen station also has a Divvy bike-sharing station, which is the 1,000th Divvy station installed in the city, officials said.

Transit riders can enter the station on the southwest corner of North Damen Avenue and West Lake Street. Staircases leading to the street are available at all four corners for riders exiting the station’s platforms.

Additionally, a $50 million public housing development called Westhaven Park IID is currently being constructed across the street from the station, which would provide 96 mixed-income apartments to the area.

The station is designed by Chicago-based global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will. Construction work for the station was done by the Chicago-based company F.H. Paschen.

The entrance of the station features a mural titled “Promise (for tomorrow from the past looking to the future)” by artist Folayemi Wilson that highlights the history of various racial and ethnic groups that have resided in the neighborhood.

Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]


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