CTA Morgan Station in Chicago by ross barney architects

Article source: ross barney architects

A new Chicago Transit Authority Morgan Street Elevated Station presented a unique opportunity, in the historic Fulton Market District, to define the geographic center and the character of this industrial loft area that is transforming into a multi-faceted neighborhood.

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

• Architects: ross barney architects
• Project: CTA Morgan Station
• Location: Chicago
• Photography: Kate Joyce Studios
• Cost: $35,257,000
• Program: New elevated train station
• Completion: 2012
• Transportation Engineer: Transystems

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

The same site had an elevated station from 1893 to 1948, at which time it was closed and demolished due to lack of regular use.  The Market is still identified by its sights, sounds and smells, being comprised of wholesale and retail meat and produce vendors, but today, it is the rich combination of warehouses, industrial spaces, off-the-beaten-path restaurants, specialty food purveyors, loft conversions and boutique stores that are the essence of the neighborhood’s character.  To reinforce this character, material selections for the project take their cues from the neighborhood—steel, glass, concrete, polycarbonate, granite and cast iron are all used in adjacent structures.

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Materials have been chosen to permit visibility through the station and reinforce the feeling of openness.  The canopies above the platform level are constructed from translucent polycarbonate panels which provide weather protection for passengers, permit natural light to reach the platform, and with their low weight, allow for less canopy structure, thereby reducing overall cost.  The lightweight nature of the panels also allows for easy replacement. The transfer bridge, elevator enclosures and grade level entries are comprised mostly of transparent glazing, and stair towers and guardrails are comprised of perforated stainless steel panels all in an effort to achieve this desired openness.

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Sustainability was a project goal: steel and concrete are the predominantly used materials—these each consist of high amounts of recycled content.  Polycarbonate panels have both a high recycled content and are regionally produced, granite flooring was extracted from regional quarries, and glazing was regionally produced.  The project landscaping is drought tolerant, requires no irrigation and minimizes storm water runoff.  New bicycle racks encourage the use of alternative transportation.

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

While emblematic of the neighborhood, the project asserts itself as part of a larger context—the CTA’s rapid transit system and its relationship to the City of Chicago.  The location of this station with its sweeping views of the skyline, along with its form that provides a sense of enclosure for the elevated tracks, creates both a literal and metaphorical gateway to the Chicago Loop, and serves as a strong emblem of the modernity of Chicago’s mass transit system.

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Awards/Publications: “Infrastructure of Hope” Cover Story, Architect Magazine, April 2013.  AIA Chicago, 2012 Distinguished Building Award, Inhabitat weblog; Chicago’s New Morgan Station,  “Gleaming new CTA station raises question: What price architecture?”, Chicago Tribune, May 29, 2012 by Blair Kamin. “$7 Billion Public-Private Plan in Chicago Aims to Fix Transit, Schools and Parks”, New York Times, March 29, 2012, by John Schwartz. “One Tower for the Meatpackers; One for the Fashionistas-Ross Barney’s New Morgan Street Station bridges old and new Fulton Market”, Architecture Chicago Plus, by Lynn Becker, January 4, 2012. “Morgan Street Station Now Hard to Miss”, Curbed Chicago, Kevin Dickert, November 2011. “You Tube; November, 2011” www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Xob2miWOg

“Ghosts of the ‘L’ stations past Morgan Street, Cermak Road once had elevated train stops”, Chicago Journal, March, 12, 2012, Igor Studenkov

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © Kate Joyce Studios

Image Courtesy © ross barney architects

Image Courtesy © ross barney architects

Image Courtesy © ross barney architects

Image Courtesy © ross barney architects

Tags: Chicago

Category: Railway Station

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