Damen is a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L", currently serving the O'Hare branch of its Blue Line.

The station is served by three bus routes on Damen, Milwaukee, and North Avenues, which are each descended from streetcar lines on those streets in the early 20th century.

Despite these renovations, the station remains limited in its accessibility for disabled patrons due to its advanced age and the neighborhood's protected status.

Proposals for the construction of an elevated railroad above Milwaukee Avenue dated to at least 1872, although opposition existed from the public due to the feared impact on property values.

[1] The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company was granted a 50-year franchise by the Chicago City Council on April 7, 1892,[2] and began securing right of way shortly thereafter.

Although it had originally intended to, and indeed had built much of its structure under the assumption that locomotives would be used,[8] it decided in May 1894 to have electrified tracks instead,[9] making it the first revenue electric elevated railroad in the United States.

[10] The Metropolitan's tracks by the site of the future Robey station were finished by the middle of October 1894, and were given power in April 1895 for test and inspection runs.

[1] The Metropolitan began service at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 6, 1895, between Robey on the Logan Square branch[a] and Canal on the main line.

[23] Upon the subway's opening, the CTA restricted the Humboldt Park branch to a shuttle service to and from Damen,[23] and closed it altogether on May 5, 1952.

[30] Having been credited with spurring development of the surrounding neighborhood upon its construction, the station was included as a contributing property to the "Milwaukee Avenue District",[31] which was designated a Chicago landmark on April 9, 2008.

[e] The renovation entailed increasing room in the station house's interior and refurbishing it, augmenting cycling facilities, and replacing the roof.

Signage was also updated, a wider turnstile was installed for strollers and luggage, the platforms and stairs were replaced, and modern gooseneck lights were used to replicate the originals.

"[38] The renovation was contracted out to F. H. Paschen under the guidance of Matt Moss; much of the load-bearing masonry was found to be unusable and had to be replaced, but the work was still carried out on schedule.

[39] Also included in the renovations were the restoration of the southern facade window and the installation of blue tactile paving on the platforms' edges.

[38] Locals expressed disappointment in the lack of accessibility; although wheelchair-bound patrons were the most affected, the most common requests for an elevator came from tourists with large luggage.

The station house, made of red pressed brick and white limestone trim with a stone sill and foundation, was designed similarly to other stations on the Logan Square branch, with a corniced and dentiled front bay containing dual doors specifically marked "Entrance" and "Exit" and prolific use of terra cotta.

[30] The platforms have hipped roof tin canopies in the center and decorative cast-iron railings with diamond designs.

[30] This stand, 80 sq ft (7.4 m2) in area, had its tenant forced out in November 2012 as the CTA transitioned from month-to-month leasing to longer-term contracts.

[44] The stand remained vacant afterwards; a new tenant was secured in 2014 and would have opened in the summer of that year, but the CTA canceled such plans and decided to instead use the space to increase capacity for passengers in the renovation.

[38] The 2014 renovation also added wider turnstiles for luggage and strollers, but did not include any accessibility improvements for riders with disabilities;[38] as of 2022[update], the station remains ADA-inaccessible.

[41] In 2018, an LED display named Soundtrack was installed on the bottom of the "L" tracks above Damen Avenue, comprising several panels that change color based on vibrations from passing trains and moving cars.

[51] Unlike other elevated railroads at the time, the Metropolitan did not sell tickets for passengers to present to staff; instead customers gave their nickel to the station agent to record in a registry, a practice similar to streetcars.

[58] Action was taken to ensure cleanliness and modernity of the district in 1927, which included streetlight improvements, the ban of sidewalk peddling, and the standardization of signage.

[64] As of 2022[update], the #56 Milwaukee bus operates between 4:20 a.m. and 11:37 p.m. on weekdays and similar hours during the weekends and holidays, with intervals ranging from 6 to 25 minutes.

[74] This proved to be short-lived, however; although it briefly regained a million passengers in 1950 for the first time since 1927, after the subway was built it consistently had lower ridership than Division from 1953 through 2003, with a steadily-declining patronage that reached a new low of 329,367 riders in 1975.

Except for 2014, in which the station was closed for renovations for several months, ridership continued to surpass two million every year through 2019, peaking at 2,233,065 riders in 2015.

Electric trains in the late 19th century entailed one powered "motor car" pulling multiple unpowered "trailers".

This was done outside of rush hours, when Humboldt Park trains ran through to downtown directly, and night periods, when they contained only one car.

Multiple-unit control was adopted by the Metropolitan between 1904 and 1905 and ended this particular practice, but combining Humboldt Park and Logan Square trains at Damen continued until 1950.

However, when the CTA assumed control, it decided to discontinue Humboldt Park service and the old Logan Square elevated, rendering the tower superfluous.