It’s been closed for so long that I almost forgot what the building entrance to the Damen Station looked like! It was nice to see it open. They kept the old brown building intact as an entrance. However, except for the exterior face, the little brown building is no longer exposed to the outside elements.
With the brick cleaned and restored, it was nice to see the beauty of the old station house and even nicer to see the words, “Damen” and “Open” on the same sign.
Remember the old, rusty girders? Here is the new look, lacking the rust that made anyone wonder how structurally sound they were.
New signs in English and Braille greet the passengers. I like the signs, as I have never been a fan of trudging up the stairs hauling groceries only to realize that I should be on the “other” platform! Of course now we also have elevators.
Here’s a peek into the old station house where passengers would go through the turnstyles and buy their bus cards or add money to their fare cards. The shiny cream and vanilla colored bricks were pretty. There was a woman doing an interview with a cameraman so I couldn’t go into the room to take more photos.
This is the outside of the building, on the north wall. Back in time, before they closed the station in November 2007, this wall was the outside of the building and was adjacent to a dry cleaners. That building was torn down for this construction project.
This space is where the dry cleaners used to be, and it houses a bike rack. I’m sure this will be a welcome addition for cyclists who have had to leave their bikes chained out front before, occasionally gifted with a bit of pigeon poo.
The new lights at the station:
And here’s a picture of the new platform.
And our favorite site, the train coming around the bend to the Damen station!
Notice how well maintained the platform is? I always noticed that the crew that did maintenance at this station before it was redone did a very good job. Damen never had that eau de urine ‘scent’ that plagued some of the other stations. Props to the guys that did such a good job, and welcome back! This photo was taken around 1:00 PM today. I understand that some of the crew started at 3:00 AM to clean the platforms and sidewalks. They did a much better job than many property owners did!!
PS Posting on 2-21-09: If you’re not running late, check out the Suitcase Traveler Art when you’re at the Damen Brown Line Station. 
And here’s the entrance, looking neither friendly nor open for business.
This shot is from Damen avenue looking north. You can see the old and the new, and the old rusty steel sandwiched between the clean looking white ones.
