Two Chicago rail stations recognized for architecture

Two Chicago Transit Authority rail stations on the Red and Green lines recently received awards for their architecture.

Architectural and engineering firm EXP and contractor Walsh-Fluor Design-Build Team announced that the temporary Bryn Mawr Station on the Red Line won the Architecture MasterPrize award in the transportation category. Garfield Station on the Green Line received the BLT Built Design award in the bridges and public architecture category, CTA officials said in a press release.

This is the second award the temporary Bryn Mawr Station received in 2022. In September, the CTA station won the "People's Choice" award from the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Chicago chapter. Garfield Station also has been recognized in past years by AIA's Illinois and Chicago chapters, CTA officials said.

"Though the Bryn Mawr Station is temporary, we are pleased with the functionality it has provided as well as the way it stands out in the local area," said Walsh-Fluor project executive Dave Shier.

The station was built as a temporary solution for Red Line access as the $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization Phase One project continues. That project has been under construction since 2019 and is expected to finish in 2025. The work calls for the Bryn Mawr and three other Red Line stations to be rebuilt into fully accessible, modernized facilities, CTA officials said.

The Garfield Station was built in 1892 and renovated in 2018 as part of the $43 million Garfield Gateway Project, which called for elevator and escalator upgrades, platform canopy extensions and new architectural features, CTA officials said.