Lawrence station (CTA)

Lawrence   4800N 1200W
Rebuilt Lawrence station on opening day
General information
Location	1117 West Lawrence Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60640
Coordinates	41°58′09″N87°39′31″W / 41.969139°N 87.658493°W / 41.969139; -87.658493
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	North Side Main Line
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	4
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	February 27, 1923;102 years ago (1923-02-27)
Rebuilt	1995, 2012, 2021–25
Passengers
2020	340,496 [1]   65.1%
Rank	72 out of 143
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Argyle toward Howard Red Line Wilson toward 95th/​Dan Ryan       Purple Line does not stop here
Track layout Legend Red to Howard Lawrence Ave. Red to 95th/​Dan Ryan
Location

Lawrence is an 'L' station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line. It is an elevated station located at 1117 West Lawrence Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The adjacent stations are Argyle, located about 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) to the north, and Wilson, about 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) to the south. Four tracks pass through the station, with a single island platform in the center of the tracks. Purple Line weekday rush hour express service uses the outside tracks and does not stop.

Lawrence station is located in the historic Uptown entertainment district. Nearby attractions include the Aragon Ballroom, the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, the Riviera Theater, and the Uptown Theatre.

History

Station platform prior to reconstruction

Lawrence station opened in 1923, shortly after the Northwestern Elevated Railroad was elevated between Wilson and Howard. The original station house was demolished and replaced with a temporary structure in 1995. ^[2]

Red & Purple Modernization Project

Further information: Red and Purple Modernization Project

Lawrence station during construction (December 2024)

Closure of the Lawrence station (along with Thorndale, and Jarvis on the Red Line and South Boulevard and Foster 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. ^[3] 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. ^[4]

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 reopened on July 20, 2025. The new station features wider platforms, better lighting, and is accessible to passengers with disabilities. ^{[5] [6] [7] [8]}

Bus connections

CTA

• 36 Broadway (approximately one half block away on Broadway)
• 81 Lawrence (Owl Service)

References

1. "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2020" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
2. Lawrence. Chicago-"L".org (URL accessed September 24, 2006).
3. Roberts, Bob (January 27, 2011). "CTA Riders Voice Their Opinions". CBS Chicago.com. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
4. "Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Information" (PDF). North Red and Purple Modernization Project. Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
5. Ward, Joe (April 20, 2021). "Major Red Line Reconstruction Begins Soon, Starting With Demolition Of 100-Year-Old Stations, Tracks". Block Club Chicago . Retrieved April 20, 2021.
6. Hernandez, Cindy (January 28, 2021). "CTA unveils new Red Line station designs". Chicago Sun-Times.
7. Long, Zach (January 28, 2021). "The CTA offers a sneak peek of four redesigned Red Line stations". Time Out Chicago.
8. "CTA Red & Purple Modernization: Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization Project". CTA.

External links

• Train schedule (PDF) ^{[ permanent dead link ]} at CTA official site
• Lawrence Station Page CTA official site
• Lawrence Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View