Green light for CTA’s Damen Station resurgence

World War II had recently ended and Harry S. Truman was president when the Chicago Transit Authority’s Damen Station on the Green Line closed in 1948.

This week, civic leaders celebrated the reopening of the station, which is centrally located at Lake Street and Damen Avenue near the United Center and Malcolm X. College.

The eye-catching station will expand CTA access for West Side residents, accommodate business growth in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor and give fans heading to the stadium more transit options, officials said.

“This new station is a transformational achievement for our city,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at an event Monday.

The $80 million structure has a spacious walk up with a broad wood canopy and large mural by artist Folayemi Wilson that illustrates the history of the West Side. The facade is glass, letting passengers view the Chicago skyline and offering glimpses inside the station’s interior, which features green columns. A glass bridge links the inbound and outbound platforms.

The station also connects to CTA buses and offers Divvy bikes to rent.