[ All 95th/Dan Ryan renderings via CTA/Flickr]
Airy minimalist design is staking another claim on Chicago's mass transit infrastructure. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the CTA, and a cohort of officials finally showcased renderings on Tuesday of what's essentially a long and high-walled glass and steel box as the new 95th/Dan Ryan Station. Were Mies still kicking he might be tickled by the CTA's take on "skin and bones" architecture, carried out with competency until being dashed by one large goofy glowing mesh adornment worn like a crown atop the building and highway. It's just one more thing for car commuters to ogle and never experience.
Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill's 1969 station design has surely run its course with the toll of 20,000 daily users. Soot collection from the Dan Ryan and 95th Street underpasses also kept the flat, bone white structure from keeping a sheen and the new building is bound to face the same grimy realty. That said, we know many South Side riders will appreciate the major facility upgrade, although such heavy investment in this terminal would seem to confirm the city's disinterest in extending the Red Line south in the coming years. And it looks really, really good by air were there any tall structures nearby from which to take it in. Walsh Construction will carry out the project, set to start in early 2014, and renowned Chicago artist Theaster Gates will pepper the terminal with art.
·Mayor Emanuel Offers First Look at New 95th Street Terminal [CTA]
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