CDOT’s brief to the architects included a challenging dichotomy: a facility that works for the neighborhood day to day while also accommodating the United Center’s occasional throngs. The transfer to CDOT of city-owned land along the south flank of the tracks made this multitasking feasible by allowing the building’s footprint to be more generous than right-of-way constraints usually permit. The additional area yielded an impressive station headhouse, much of it occupied by a grand stair with an adjacent escalator, along with an expansive plaza, suitable for large crowds. “These public spaces combine to create a civic promenade up to the track level,” says Perkins&Will design director Ralph Johnson. A secondary entrance, with wide pivoting double doors, can be opened during peak events to supplement those at the main one.

The headhouse features a grand staircase and a mass-timber roof deck. Photo © James Steinkamp

In addition to the grand stair, the project features three other generously sized components for passenger circulation: two elevator towers connected by a bridge over the tracks. The result of this highly functional arrangement is an eye-catching sculptural collage of monumental scale. “The compositional clarity came from a desire to make the station an assembly of urban elements derived from Chicago’s bridges and towers,” says Johnson.

Staircases are enclosed. Photo © James Steinkamp

The most dramatic of these bold elements is the bridge, which facilitates movement between eastbound and westbound train platforms. It’s a truss of welded steel tubes, appropriately painted a vivid shade of green, that spans approximately 130 feet and hangs from the concrete-walled south tower, with two tension rods at the top and two anchors at the bottom. Pin connections secure it to the steel-framed north tower, which cantilevers over the sidewalk. It was fabricated in two pieces, transported by barge on the Chicago River and then by truck to the site, where it was spliced together and lifted into place by two tandem cranes. Large expanses of glass, with grated openings for natural ventilation, provide a weather shield, along with daylight and panoramic views of the downtown skyline. “It celebrates the city,” says design principal Bryan Schabel.

The platforms are partially covered. Photo © James Steinkamp

Equally noteworthy is the station headhouse, a glazed rectangular pavilion, topped by a green roof, whose vast interior volume welcomes passengers coming and going. Its east elevation overlooks the plaza, whose flame-finished granite paving continues indoors. Slender tubular steel columns, painted white and tapered at top and bottom, recall the elegant verticality of Renzo Piano’s addition to the Art Institute. Discreet pin connections secure them to the floor and to the mass-timber roof deck. Attached to the columns with stainless-steel spider fittings is an enclosure of bird-friendly fritted-glass panels. These are slightly angled to form large louvers, which allow for air circulation while providing protection from Chicago’s frequent wind and precipitation. Along the west elevation are the grand stair of cast-in-place concrete and a mosaic tile mural by artist Folayemi Wilson, which honors the rich history of the Near West Side’s diverse population.

The cast-in-place concrete structure is left exposed. Photo © James Steinkamp

The new station aligns with Chicago’s Connected Communities Ordinance, a zoning-code reform intended to advance equitable transit-oriented development. “It’s more than just restored train access,” notes Schabel. “It’s also a catalyst for neighborhood reinvestment and revitalization.” This includes soon-to-be-completed mixed-income apartments across the street and the 1901 Project, which aims to fill acres of surface parking lots around the United Center with a mix of housing, hotels, offices, parks, and a music hall.

Johnson justifiably takes great pride in his firm’s achievement here. “I’m a native Chicagoan and a lifelong CTA user, so it’s very meaningful to contribute to such an exceptional facility in this system.” One of his core beliefs is that architecture should layer the artistic into the practical. The Damen Green Line Station does precisely that.

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