A CTA Blue Line station that has been boarded up and abandoned for more than 40 years could reopen if President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama choose to build the Obama presidential library on the city's West Side.
Should the Obamas settle on a South Side site, the Garfield Green Line stop in Washington Park could see repairs.
The University of Illinois-Chicago has proposed one site on the West Side to build the Obama presidential library and one West Side site for the library's visitor center while the University of Chicago has submitted two South Side sites for the library. The Obamas are expected to make a decision by the end of March on the library site in a contest that includes the University of Hawaii and Columbia University in New York.
Unlike many tourist attractions, the potential library sites are not downtown or on the nearby Museum Campus so the universities are proposing ways to shuttle visitors to some sites that are underserved by transit.
CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase would only say "the CTA will work to ensure that convenient transit options are provided to whichever location may be chosen. We don't have any additional information to provide at this point."
University of Chicago spokesman Jeremy Manier said the university has had conversations with representatives of the CTA and mayor's office as well as aldermen about the proposals.
"We see numerous possibilities for transportation enhancements," Manier said in an e-mail.
A study conducted by Anderson Economic Group, a Michigan-based research group, for the University of Chicago estimated the Obama library would attract 800,000 visitors a year. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which opened in 2013 in Dallas, logged more than 435,000 visitors in its first year, the Bush library said in a news release.
The University of Chicago, which has proposed putting a library in either the Washington Park or Woodlawn community, is the perceived frontrunner over UIC, which is going through leadership changes, according to the Tribune.
The Washington Park site is near the Garfield Green Line stop, on Garfield Boulevard by Calumet Avenue, the 51st Street Green Line stop by Calumet Avenue and various CTA bus routes and blocks from the Garfield Red Line stop by the Dan Ryan Expressway.
If that spot is chosen, the CTA could repair the Garfield Green Line stop and increase frequency of Green Line service, Manier said. Manier did not give details on what repairs would be made to the Garfield station and the cost of the fixes or more service.
The other University of Chicago proposed library site is in Jackson Park in the city's Woodlawn community .
The Woodlawn site is not located by a CTA rail station but is near the 59th Street Metra Electric District stop by Harper Avenue and a few CTA bus routes.
The university sees "possibilities for improved bus connections, linking institutions in Museum Campus South and linking the presidential library with 53rd Street," Manier said. There is also a possibility for a seasonal water taxi connecting the library with Navy Pier and Museum Campus and fixes to the Metra stop, Manier said.
On the West Side, UIC has proposed building the library in North Lawndale and the library's visitor center on the eastern end of its campus.
The UIC campus site, which is located by the CTA UIC-Halsted Blue Line stop and various CTA bus lines, would not require significant public transit expansion, according to a UIC study on the library's potential impact. The UIC-Halsted stop, which is accessible for wheelchair riders, sees about 7,900 riders enter the station on an average weekday, placing it in the top 25 of CTA weekday ridership.
The North Lawndale site would require more transit options, the study determined. The university suggested reopening the Kostner Blue Line stop in West Garfield Park that closed in 1973 because of budget cuts and creating an express bus system along Roosevelt Road that would link the lakefront to the library.
The university estimates reopening the shuttered station could cost about $35 million while building a new express bus line on Roosevelt Road could cost $50 million, UIC spokeswoman Anne Brooks Ranallo said. Who would pick up the tab hasn't been determined.
In a November letter to the Obama foundation, Mayor Emanuel pledged that the city would work with the CTA "to revamp and reopen the Kostner Blue Line station to facilitate access to North Lawndale."
Should the Obamas settle on a South Side site, the Garfield Green Line stop in Washington Park could see repairs.
The University of Illinois-Chicago has proposed one site on the West Side to build the Obama presidential library and one West Side site for the library's visitor center while the University of Chicago has submitted two South Side sites for the library. The Obamas are expected to make a decision by the end of March on the library site in a contest that includes the University of Hawaii and Columbia University in New York.
Unlike many tourist attractions, the potential library sites are not downtown or on the nearby Museum Campus so the universities are proposing ways to shuttle visitors to some sites that are underserved by transit.
CTA spokeswoman Tammy Chase would only say "the CTA will work to ensure that convenient transit options are provided to whichever location may be chosen. We don't have any additional information to provide at this point."
University of Chicago spokesman Jeremy Manier said the university has had conversations with representatives of the CTA and mayor's office as well as aldermen about the proposals.
"We see numerous possibilities for transportation enhancements," Manier said in an e-mail.
A study conducted by Anderson Economic Group, a Michigan-based research group, for the University of Chicago estimated the Obama library would attract 800,000 visitors a year. The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, which opened in 2013 in Dallas, logged more than 435,000 visitors in its first year, the Bush library said in a news release.
The University of Chicago, which has proposed putting a library in either the Washington Park or Woodlawn community, is the perceived frontrunner over UIC, which is going through leadership changes, according to the Tribune.
The Washington Park site is near the Garfield Green Line stop, on Garfield Boulevard by Calumet Avenue, the 51st Street Green Line stop by Calumet Avenue and various CTA bus routes and blocks from the Garfield Red Line stop by the Dan Ryan Expressway.
If that spot is chosen, the CTA could repair the Garfield Green Line stop and increase frequency of Green Line service, Manier said. Manier did not give details on what repairs would be made to the Garfield station and the cost of the fixes or more service.
The other University of Chicago proposed library site is in Jackson Park in the city's Woodlawn community .
The Woodlawn site is not located by a CTA rail station but is near the 59th Street Metra Electric District stop by Harper Avenue and a few CTA bus routes.
The university sees "possibilities for improved bus connections, linking institutions in Museum Campus South and linking the presidential library with 53rd Street," Manier said. There is also a possibility for a seasonal water taxi connecting the library with Navy Pier and Museum Campus and fixes to the Metra stop, Manier said.
On the West Side, UIC has proposed building the library in North Lawndale and the library's visitor center on the eastern end of its campus.
The UIC campus site, which is located by the CTA UIC-Halsted Blue Line stop and various CTA bus lines, would not require significant public transit expansion, according to a UIC study on the library's potential impact. The UIC-Halsted stop, which is accessible for wheelchair riders, sees about 7,900 riders enter the station on an average weekday, placing it in the top 25 of CTA weekday ridership.
The North Lawndale site would require more transit options, the study determined. The university suggested reopening the Kostner Blue Line stop in West Garfield Park that closed in 1973 because of budget cuts and creating an express bus system along Roosevelt Road that would link the lakefront to the library.
The university estimates reopening the shuttered station could cost about $35 million while building a new express bus line on Roosevelt Road could cost $50 million, UIC spokeswoman Anne Brooks Ranallo said. Who would pick up the tab hasn't been determined.
In a November letter to the Obama foundation, Mayor Emanuel pledged that the city would work with the CTA "to revamp and reopen the Kostner Blue Line station to facilitate access to North Lawndale."