Chicago Grand Central Terminal

Chicago, which has since the nineteenth century been the hub of the American railroad system, is today at the center of swelling national conversation about the need for a national high-speed rail network.

While ideas have included a regional hub at O’Hare Airport or a plutonian platform level below heavily congested Union Station, MA realizes an enormous opportunity to add value to the fabric of downtown Chicago. The result: a new, unapologetically civic high-speed rail terminal in the empty footprint left by the former Grand Central Station.

Situated one block south of the Loop and offering the first direct national rail connection to the Chicago Transit Authority, the classical terminal brings much-needed energy and beauty to its stagnant surroundings, as well as economic activity to Chicago and the Midwest at large.

Awards: Congress for New Urbanism-Illinois Charter Award, 2011