Chicago's Loop Opens its First New L Station in 20 Years

"Wave hello to the Loop's striking new elevated station," writes Chicago Tribune Architecture Critic Blair Kamin. "It's going to wave back."

"The first new Loop elevated stop in 20 years, the $75 million Washington-Wabash Station stands out because the canopies covering its passenger platforms appear to undulate, like the skeleton of a skinny reptile," adds Kamin.

For more of the prosaic details about the new station, Kamin explains: "Located in the Jewelers Row historic district and funded by the federal government, the station replaces two aging elevated stations — one at Madison and Wabash, already demolished; the other at Randolph and Wabash, which will close Sunday. The new station will serve the CTA's Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple lines."

For more of the poetic aspects of the new design, described as only a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic could, click through to the article.