Contest Seeks to Activate Union Station

Transportation hub soliciting ideas to liven up train station

Union Station's place in Chicago's architectural history is secure, but officials believe the transportation hub could be so much more.

And that's where the Fifth Annual Placemaking Contest comes in, an effort by the Metropolitan Planning Council to breathe new life into the building.

The contest will award $5,000 to two individuals who have the best ideas to create a temporary space for 10 days later this summer at one of the following locations inside the station:

  • The iconic Headhouse, located west of Canal Street
  • The east-facing arcade on Canal Street
  • Plaza of Fifth Third Center, along the Chicago River

Contestants are asked to fill out an application and drop their plan into an idea box a the station, or tweet to @Metroplanners along with the hash tag #ActivateUS!

The contest ends July 24.

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