Western (2400W/1900N)
Western Avenue, Cortland Street and Milwaukee Avenue, Logan Square

Service Notes:

	Blue Line: O'Hare
	Accessible Station (To Be Completed in Fall 2001)
	Owl Service

Quick Facts:

Address: 1909-11 N. Western Avenue
Established: May 25, 1895
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Logan Square branch
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: 2000-01
Status: In Use

History: The Early Years The platforms at Western/Milwaukee, looking northwest in the summer of 2000. The station's platform had many of its original 19th century features such as lights and canopies before modernization took place in 2000-01. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) Western was built in 1895 as part of the original section of the Metropolitan "L"'s Northwest route. Western, like most Met stations, probably originally consisted of a brick station house with simple amenities and a wooden platform with steel canopies, railings and shepherd's crook lights. The station may have house featured dual doors set in a bay outcropping, extensive terra cotta work on the exterior, dentals above the doors' story lights, carved wooden beads flush with the building between the wooden brackets which support a wooden canopy. Later, in the early 1930s, the entire length of Western Avenue was widened. This expansion required the demolition of a number of buildings along the thoroughfare and resulted in the "L" station being trimmed back to a new building line. At that time, it was given a new front of glazed terra cotta. The tan and green addition, typical in design of 20s/30s art deco architecture, stands in stark contrast to the dark brick original building, which could still be seen on the sides and in back. The words "L • Rapid Transit • L", executed in green terra cotta, are a prominent and impressive feature. Nearly identical fronts were also put on the Western Avenue stations at the Douglas Park, Garfield Park, and Humboldt Park Met stops. (The Lake Street "L" crossed Western, but had no stop. The Western station on the Ravenswood Branch had a new front added in the late 1920s and was apparently untouched.) For the duration of construction when the station house is closed, access to the platforms is provided by specially-built stairways and temporary fare control booths on the west side of Western Avenue. When the station house reopens, they will become auxiliary exits. Looking north at the Loop-bound entrance on January 5, 2001. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) The platforms still retain their original canopies and railings and the northbound platform still has a few of its original, unique 1895 shepherd's crook lights, seen only on the early Met "L" stations. The building stood in excellent condition until the fall of 2000.   A New Station With an Old Facade On September 15, 1999, the CTA announced that the Western station would be dismantled, restored and rebuilt some time in the following 16 months. The reconstructed station would be fully accessible and would meet all ADA requirements. As part of the rehabilitation work, temporary entrances were put into operation at 10am Tuesday, June 27, 2000 on the west side of Western Avenue. The station house, on the east side of the street, was closed for rehabilitation until 2001. Once the original station has been reopened after rehabilitation, the temporary entrances will become secondary entrances and exits for both platforms. At that time, high-barrier gates will be installed to permit exiting at all times and entry for customers using Transit Cards. This will provide added convenience for customers approaching the station from the west or using southbound buses on Western. The rehab project included replacing both platforms as well as support beams that span Western Avenue. The current 1895 platforms and canopies were replaced with new full-length canopies over new platforms. Other amenities included an elevator to each platform, audio/visual signs announcing train arrivals, braille-tactile signs, and tactile edging at the platform level and at the top of the stairs. Above: The Western/Milwaukee station platform, looking northwest on March 9, 2001. The new canopy structure is largely in place. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) Below: The Western/Milwaukee station complex, looking east on March 16, 2001. The juxtaposition between the new canopy under construction and the historic station facade below is already evident here. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) To preserve historic elements of the station, portions of the original station house facade were to be restored, as were Art Deco elements from the 1930s-era modernization. By January 2001, the extent of the station's "preservation" became clear. The sides and rear of the station were demolished, with only a small corner at the rear remaining around New Year's. The Art Moderne facade had been retained, held upright by wooden beams and supports. Plywood boards encased parts of the cornice and capitals along the roofline, presumably to protect them while work progresses on the platforms above. How aesthetically carefully and sympathetically the 1930s front will be integrated into a 21st century station structure remained to be seen. Construction of new steelwork that was necessary to support the new platforms and canopies had begun and progressed over the following months. Nothing had been removed from the platforms as of January 2001, except the original stairs down to the old station house. One of the CTA's most unusual projects, the work at Western/Milwaukee will ultimately include a new masonry station house, new platforms, canopy, stairs, customer assistant kiosk, electrical, communication, and HVAC systems, and two new elevators to make station handicapped accessible. The historic terra cotta facade and north brick wall will be integrated into the new station house. By late March, work on the new platforms and elevated structure was continuing. Additional bent supports were added to support the larger platforms. The new side platforms were being constructed, with the old platform canopies gone and the superstructure of the new full-width canopy just about completed. The design is unusual and somewhat retrograde: the diamond cutouts in the horizontal beams over the tracks resemble the hexagonal ones in the canopy of a similar design at Polk, built in 1983. The gooseneck shepherd's crook light were removed, replaced with temporary lights strung on a cable. The remnants of the old station house had not been significantly altered in the previous several months. The old Art Moderne front facade still stood, supported by wooden braces. The 1895 Renaissance Revival wall at what was the northeast (rear left) corner of the building was still standing, partially demolished. Above: The new Western station house, which incorporates with historic side and front with a modern addition in the rear, looking south on July 13, 2001. It is interesting to compare this photo to western-milwaukee01.jpg above, the same view before the renovation began. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) Below: The new, modern interior of the Western station house, looking in from the street on July 13, 2001, 25 hours before reopening. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) In April, work on the new platforms and elevated structure continued. The structure of the new full-width canopy was just about completed. Work on the new platforms and elevated structure continued, with new side platforms being constructed. Construction of the new masonry station house was not 100% complete, but has progressed far enough that the CTA has opened it up for passenger use in July. As of 1800 hours, Saturday, July 14, 2001, the new station house was opened for ingress and egress from the platforms. At the same time, the stairs on the west side of the street were closed through Fall 2001 for additional work. When the station facility is complete, these stairs will become auxiliary entrances/exits. The station house integrates parts of the old, historic headhouse with new, modern additions. The front is an Art Moderne glazed tile facade added circa 1930. Parts of this, including the tan tiles and dark green Art Deco lettering, has either been cleaned or replaced, as it is clearly lighter than neighboring pieces. The north wall, which is a dark brick elevation dating from the station's opening in 1895, was also saved and integrated. This was not originally going to be saved, it is believed, as parts of it were demolished during the initial deconstruction and have been replaced with obviously-newer looking brick. The windows, which were already bricked over when reconstruction began, have been rebricked over with a more sympathetic colored brick. The south wall is completely new (and rather unsympathetic to the historic elements), made of glass and steel. The interior is completely new, with concrete floors, concession space, a white metal drop ceiling, and white tiled walls. A new stainless steel customer assistant booth, in a design near-identical to those at Garfield, UIC-Halsted, and other locations (it seems to be a standard design for new CA booths), has been installed. Additionally, installation of the new stairs between the station house and each side platform is complete. They are in the style of the Green Line stations, with metal mesh (painted blue, rather than green, for its use here) installed between the railings and supports. By late September 2001, the station rebuilding project was nearly complete. The side platforms were almost finished, with the floor decking, canopy supports, canopy roofing, railings, lights, AV signs, and windbreaks installed. During the third week of September, the platform symbol signs were installed as well. Still to be completed at this time were the auxiliary entrances/exits on the west side of Western Avenue, installation of the station name signs and other signage, and other station finishes. According to current construction schedules, major work will be substantially complete in September 2001 with all construction projected to be complete by November 1, 2001.   Recent Developments In September 2004, Dunkin' Donuts, the coffee and baked goods chain, opened five new concessions in CTA® stations around the "L" system. One such new concession was located at Western/Milwaukee station. "This is the first major concerted effort to open a significant number of Dunkin' Donuts stores in CTA® stations," said Mike Lavigne, director of development for Dunkin' Donuts. All new Dunkin' Donuts /CTA® station stores were scheduled to be full-service.

	western-milwaukee00.jpg The Western/Milwaukee station, looking north on Western Avenue in the late 1990s. The historic 1920s Art Deco station house stands on the right. The pole on the left displays the numerous bus routes available on Western, including the new X49 Express route. (Photo from the CTA Collection)
	western-milwaukeeLight.jpg (320k) One of the lights at Western dates back to the opening of the station in 1895. The Metropolitan "L" designed special, ornate lights for their stations, but today only this one and two at Damen remain. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	cta3193.jpg (120k) A two-car Douglas-O'Hare All-Stop is trailed by car 3193 at Western on June 21, 1987. Note the green-background system map posted on the station platform at right; at this time, the metal system maps at stations often matched the A/B color code of the station they were posted at. Western/Milwaukee was a B station (which had green station signs), hence the green map. (Photo by EO, Collection of Joe Testagrose)
	cta2147.jpg (109k) Cars 2147-2148 make up the sole contents of a two-car Douglas-Milwaukee "B" train -- run 319 -- pulling into Western/Milwaukee on July 20, 1968. Note the old-style symbol sign on the platform railing on the left. (Photo by Doug Grotjahn, Collection of Joe Testagrose)
	western-milwaukee03.jpg The Art Deco facade of Western/Milwaukee stands solemnly on January 5, 2001, striped of the sides and rear of the original structure. It stands supported by wooden beams and braces awaiting integration into the new station facility. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	western-milwaukee05.jpg (63k) Looking west at the temporary fare controls on the northbound platform and the staircase leading to them. When the station reconstruction is finished, this will become auxiliary station access. The #49 Western bus passes in the foreground. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	western-milwaukee06.jpg (87k) Looking south down Western Avenue, the state of the Art Deco front and Arts and Crafts sides are evident. The front is being held in place, but the sides and rear are nearly demolished by January 5, 2001. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	western-milwaukee07.jpg (81k) The only remaining part of the side and rear walls is this section in the east corner of the building. In all likelihood, it too will soon be gone. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	western-milwaukee08.jpg (30k) Bathed in the warm glow of incandescent lights, the Western/Milwaukee platform exudes charm on an evening in May 2000, looking southeast toward the Loop before the station renovation began. (Photo by Eric Zabelny)
	western-milwaukee13.jpg The modern platform and glass and steel side of the station house heavily juxtapose the Art Deco glazed tile facade, looking north on July 13, 2001. (Photo by Graham Garfield)
	western-milwaukee15.jpg Construction continues at platform level, looking southeast on July 13, 2001. The metal skeleton of the canopy and elevator towers are in place. (Photo by Graham Garfield)