Lee–Van Aken station is a station on the
RTA Blue Line in
Shaker Heights, Ohio, located in the median of Van Aken Boulevard at its intersection with Lee Road, after which the station is named.
History
The station opened on April 11, 1920, with the initiation of rail service by the Cleveland Interurban Railroad on what is now Van Aken Boulevard from
Lynnfield Road to
Shaker Square and then to East 34th Street and via surface streets to downtown.
The underpass at Lee Road was dictated by an existing creekbed at the site.
It is the only grade separation on the Van Aken line.
In 1980 and 1981, the Green and Blue Lines were completely renovated with new track, ballast, poles and wiring, and new stations were built along the line. The renovated line along Van Aken Boulevard opened on October 30, 1981.
In March 2008, architects were selected to design a new station to replace the existing structure. The new station would be accessible passengers with disabilities includes elevators, a larger pedestrian/bus interface point and enhanced safety and security systems. Public art titled "Railway Dream" by American Sculptor Rachel Slick was commissioned for street level entries and East and West bound platforms. Construction began on June 25, 2014, and the rebuilt station opened in December 2015.
Station layout
Unlike most other stations served exclusively by the Blue Line, this station is located in a cut within the
median
In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...
of Van Aken Boulevard just west of the Lee Road overpass. Concrete
stairways with
canopies and elevators lead from Lee Road down to two
side platforms. Each platform has
mini-high platform
Railway platform height is the built height – ''above top of rail (ATR)'' – of passenger platforms at stations. A connected term is ''train floor height'', which refers to the ATR height of the floor of rail vehicles. Worldwide, there are m ...
s which allow passengers with disabilities to access trains.
Gallery
Lee-Van Aken station overpass (2).png, Tracks from below-grade station
Lee-Van Aken station (2).jpg, Station platforms
Lee-Van Aken station (3).jpg, Eastbound station entrance featuring panels of public art collection "Railway Dream" bu Rachel Slick
Lee-Van Aken station (6).jpg, Station signs
Lee-Van Aken station (7).jpg, Station arch
Lee Road Cleveland RTA Blue Line station.jpg, Lee station in 2007
Notable places nearby
*
Shaker Heights Public Library
Shaker Heights Public Library is a library district in eastern Cuyahoga County, Ohio serving the city of Shaker Heights and that portion of the City of Cleveland, known as Shaker Square, which falls within the Shaker Heights City School District. ...
References
External links
Lee – Van Aken Rapid Station (GCRTA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee-Van Aken station
Blue Line (RTA Rapid Transit)
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1920
1920 establishments in Ohio