Western is an elevated rapid transit station on the Chicago "L"'s Blue Line, where it is located on the O'Hare branch.

The station, opened in 1895, is located within the Bucktown neighborhood in the larger Logan Square community area.

Western was constructed by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad to serve its Logan Square branch.

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.

[a][4][5] 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.

[17] With the subway's opening, the CTA restricted the Humboldt Park branch to a shuttle service to and from Damen,[17] and closed it altogether on May 5, 1952.

[23] Western Avenue was widened in the early 1930s, removing the frontmost few feet from the station house and requiring a new facade for it.

The Art Deco facade, which was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and original 1895 northern wall were preserved, but the rest of the station house was demolished, as were the platforms and their canopies.

The improvements to Western as a part of Your New Blue include a public art installation, called "Remnants | Restos", upgrading the station house, installing secure bicycle storage, a sidewalk canopy, LEDs for the historic façade, and replacement of the roofing, handrails, and guardrails on the north and south stairs.

[27] At the same time, a weekly pass was introduced, the first in a major American city, for $1.25 ($20.24 in 2021) for rides outside of Evanston and Wilmette.

[7] Smoking was banned by the city across "L" facilities and in streetcars in response to a 1918 influenza outbreak, a prohibition that has remained in force ever since.

An extension route from Lawrence to Imlay, near the Forest Preserve, opened on December 11, 1914, and the lines were through-routed on October 1, 1927.

Streetcars were typically one car each in Chicago; two-car multiple-unit control trains ran on Milwaukee Avenue between March 2, 1925 and May 5, 1929.

Another route on Armitage, going east of the Chicago River and starting from Campbell near the station, began service on June 19, 1914.