The Central West End MetroLink Station sits squarely in the middle of the Washington University Medical Campus and is the most used station on the system. Since its initial completion 27 years ago, the station had struggled to keep up with the growing campus around it. Partnering with Metro Transit, Washington University School of Medicine, and BJC HealthCare, Mackey Mitchell was tasked with elevating the experience of daily users and visitors by transforming this space into a new front door for the world-class medical campus. The new MetroLink Station helps relieve congestion in the dense neighborhood while improving safety and visibility.
Shape
Working with many stakeholders, including the medical campus, Metro Transit, and the contractor, Mackey Mitchell redesigned the station so that it could stay in use during construction, be buildable in an extremely constrained site, while providing a world-class design. Mackey Mitchell was able to manage diverse and sometimes competing viewpoints to come to a consensus that all stakeholders could agree to and be excited about.
Inspire
This new front door to the medical campus now features a wide and gracious stairway leading to a new welcome center to guide guests and visitors. A glassy, light-filled elevator takes patrons down to an expanded platform canopy that shelters them from the elements. New lighting fills the space and contributes to a safe and comfortable environment. The station is now positioned for the future, with upgrades that allow the university, its medical partners and the city to provide a greatly improved doorway for visitors and residents traveling to some of the area’s most loved neighborhoods.
The updates to the Central West End Station will enhance safety, security and accessibility, while also helping people who get on and off the train at our stop feel welcome.
- Melissa Rockwell-Hopkins Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Assistant Dean of Operations and Facilities, Washington University School of Medicine
