Damen (2000W/4700N)
Damen Avenue and Leland Avenue, Ravenswood

Service Notes:

Brown Line: Ravenswood

Quick Facts:

Address: 4643-47 N. Damen Avenue
Established: May 18, 1907
Original Line: Northwestern Elevated Railroad, Ravenswood branch
Previous Names: Robey Street

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 2007-08 (projected)
Status: Closed for Renovation

History:

The interior of Damen station on October 11, 2002, with its glazed brick walls and Craftsman-inspired wood beams. For an enlarged view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

Damen opened with the initial construction of the Ravenswood branch of the Northwestern Elevated, which was placed into service May 18, 1907. The headhouse is of a modest size and scale, relating to its role as a modest neighborhood station. The building's exterior is constructed of dark brick and has a fairly simple design. The walls are largely unadorned, except for simple ornamentation around the cornice, belt rail, and in the hood over the front entrance, all of which is executed in the same brick as the rest of the exterior. The doors originally had multi-pane windows, now removed. The interior of the station is similarly modest. As built, there were two open areas on either side of the doors at the front for circulation and concessions. A new concession, which clad over the historic glazed brick walls. was installed in the north bay circa 2000. The interior then narrows into the fare control array, which originally consisted of an agent's booth in the center flanked by turnstiles. This booth was removed in the mid-1990s when the electronic farecard turnstiles were installed, replaced by a new booth on the west wall. The interior walls are clad in glazed brick. A large, bracketed, heavy wood beam runs across width of the interior in the center, relating a Craftsman-influence to the simple design.

At platform level, Damen station also retains much of its original material. The original canopies, which are typical of the 1907 Ravenswood branch stations, are still in place and feature a gently curved roof with latticed support columns and framing. A great deal of the original platform railings are also intact from the north ends of the platforms (including the original curved end pieces) to approximately over the centerline of Damen Avenue. The original platform railings consist flat panels alternated with thin balustrades and sunflower rosettes. The platform extensions at the west end have simple, modern metal railings.

Damen became an A station when the skip stop system was instituted August 1, 1949, but reverted to an all-stop when A/B service was discontinued in 1995.

Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project

By 2004, ridership had exploded on the Brown Line -- an 79% increase since 1979 and a 27% increase since 1998 -- that during peak periods many trains were at crush-loaded, resulting in commuters left standing on platforms unable to board the loaded trains, sometimes waiting as one or two trains passed before they were physically able to board. The problem in large part was that all Brown Line stations could only accommodate six-car trains (with the exception of Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Fullerton and Belmont, which could already hold eight-car trains), which, along with the limitations of the cab signal system, limited the line's capacity.

Artist's rendering of the design for the renovated Damen station. The historic station house will be renovated with an addition built behind it. The historic platform canopy and Brown Line-standard railings and lights are visible at platform level above. For a larger view, click here. (Image provided courtesy of the Chicago Transit Authority)

As a result, the CTA^® decided to plan for the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project, the largest capital improvement project undertaken by the CTA^® at the time (surpassing even the Douglas Renovation Project, which was the largest up to that point). The main objectives of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project are to expand the line's overall ridership capacity by lengthening station platforms to accommodate eight rather than six-car trains, rehabilitate rail infrastructure and stations, provide for station enhancements to meet the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and upgrade or replace traction power, signal and communication equipment. By far, the largest part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project was the station renovations. Of the Brown Line's 19 stations, only one (Merchandise Mart) was not touched at all due to its modern construction (1988) and ability to berth eight-car trains.

On April 13, 2004, the CTA^® announced that it had officially received a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). However, in May 2004, CTA^® received construction bids for the project that substantially exceeded the budget. As such, the Chicago Transit Board voted on June 9, 2004 to reorganize the project into several discrete pieces to help attract more competitive construction bids. Station renovation work was modified and grouped into five separate packages according to location to help reduce the overall cost of station construction. Damen station was grouped with Montrose, Irving Park, and Addison in a bid package, all of which were designed by the same consultant, Earth Tech, Inc. Station designs were also revised to reduce costs. Most changes concentrated on non-customer areas such as reducing the size of janitor closets, employee restrooms, electrical rooms and communication rooms. Other areas that were studied for cost reduction were standardizing common station elements, the use of less expensive materials, canopy designs and coverage, and temporary station closures to provide contractors better access to the sites.

The Damen/Montrose/Irving Park/Addison contract was the fourth of the reorganized station packages to be bid out. At the July 20, 2006 board meeting, a $58 million contract for the renovation of these stations was awarded to James McHugh Construction.

Following contract approval, the construction contractor will prepare and submit a construction plan to CTA^® for approval. CTA^® will hold a community meeting to provide further construction details and timelines for the work.

Construction at each station is expected to last 13 months and all four stations will be subject to temporary closure for a period of 10 months during construction. However, no two adjacent stations will be scheduled to close at the same time so customers may go to the next closest station for service. During periods of temporary closure, customers are encouraged to use the most convenient existing CTA^® bus and rail service in the area.

On Monday, November 26, 2007, Damen temporarily closed for renovation. Damen will temporarily close for 12 months while construction crews work to rebuild the station. The adjacent stations -- Western and Montrose -- will remain open during the temporary closure of the Damen station so customers may continue to use them to access Brown Line service. The Damen station is located in an area where existing CTA^® service is plentiful. In addition to nearby rail stations, there are several existing CTA^® bus routes that provide service near Damen station.

The project's Full Funding Grant Agreement with the federal government requires that the CTA^® complete the project by the end of 2009.

Damen station's platforms, looking east on October 11, 2002, are typical of those on the Ravenswood branch elevated stations. Damen has a lot of its original platform materials still intact, including the typical Ravenswood canopies, with their curved roofs and elaborate latticework, and the platform railings, with flat panels alternated with thin balustrades and sunflower rosettes. For an enlarged view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)