Lawrence is a temporarily closed
'L' station on the
Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...
's
Red Line. It is an elevated station located at 1117 West Lawrence Avenue in the
Uptown
Uptown may refer to:
Neighborhoods or regions in several cities
United States
* Uptown, Chicago, Illinois
* Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York
* Uptown, Richmond, Virginia
* Uptown, Dallas, Texas
* Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
* Upt ...
neighborhood of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. The adjacent stations are
Argyle, located about to the north, and
Wilson, about to the south, serving as alternate stations remaining open while Lawrence is closed for reconstruction. Four tracks pass through the station, though the two western tracks are out of service for reconstruction with all trains passing through without stopping on the two eastern tracks. Prior to demolition in 2021, there was a single
island platform
An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...
in the center of the tracks;
Purple Line weekday rush hour express service used the outside tracks and did not stop.
Lawrence station is located in the historic Uptown entertainment district. Nearby attractions include the
Aragon Ballroom, the
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge (also known as the Green Mill Jazz Club or simply the Green Mill) is a bar and entertainment venue on Broadway in Uptown, Chicago.
The Green Mill's origins can be traced to the late 1890s. Over the years its nam ...
, the
Riviera Theater, and the
Uptown Theatre.
History
Lawrence station opened in 1923, shortly after the
Northwestern Elevated Railroad
The Northwestern Elevated Railroad was the last of the privately constructed rapid transit lines to be built in Chicago. The line ran from the Loop in downtown Chicago north to Wilson Avenue in Chicago's Uptown, Chicago, Uptown neighborhood with a ...
was elevated between Wilson and
Howard
Howard is a masculine given name derived from the English surname Howard. ''The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names'' notes that "the use of this surname as a christian name is quite recent and there seems to be no particular reason for ...
. The original station house was demolished and replaced with a temporary structure in 1995.
Red & Purple Modernization Project
Closure of the Lawrence station (along with
Thorndale, and
Jarvis on the Red Line and
South Boulevard and
Foster
Foster may refer to:
People
* Foster (surname)
* Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor
* Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player
* Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player
* John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), America ...
on the Purple Line) was proposed in three of the CTA's six potential options for the renovation of the Purple Line and northern section of the Red Line. In two plans, the station would be replaced by a new auxiliary entrance at Ainslie from Argyle, while in the third replacement would be by an auxiliary entrance at Winona from a new subterranean station at Foster.
As part of Phase I of the Red & Purple Modernization Project, the station closed for demolition beginning on May 16, 2021, and a newly constructed station will reopen on July 20, 2025. The new station will feature wider platforms, better lighting, and be accessible to passengers with disabilities.
Bus connections
CTA
*
36 Broadway (approximately one half block away on Broadway)
*
81 Lawrence (Owl Service) (Currently re-routed to
Wilson during station closure)
Notes and references
Notes
The station is closed for reconstruction and is scheduled to reopen on July 20, 2025.
References
External links
Train schedule (PDF)a
CTA official siteLawrence Station PageCTA official siteLawrence Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Chicago "L" stations navbox, Red=Yes
CTA Red Line stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1923