Virginia Square–GMU station is a

Washington Metro The Washington Metro, often abbreviated as the Metro and formally the Metrorail, is a rapid transit system serving the Washington metropolitan area of the United States. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ...

station in the Virginia Square neighborhood of

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

, United States. The

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...

ed station opened on December 1, 1979, and is operated by the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...

(WMATA). The station serves the

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

and

Silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

Lines. The station serves the Virginia Square neighborhood as well as the Arlington campus of

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

(GMU). The station entrance is located at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and North Monroe Street.

History

Originally to be called Ballston, the station was renamed Virginia Square by the Metro board in March 1977. Its name was changed due to its location at the since-demolished

Virginia Square Shopping Center The Virginia Square Shopping Center was a shopping center in the Ballston section of Arlington County, Virginia. In early 1952, it opened to complement the adjoining Kann's-Virginia store. At opening, the 15-store center included a Giant superma ...

. After several years of construction, the station opened on December 1, 1979. Its opening coincided with the completion of approximately of rail west of the Rosslyn station and the opening of the , and stations. Known originally as simply Virginia Square, in July 1985, the Metro board voted unanimously to rename the station Virginia Square–GMU, with the "GMU" standing for the adjacent, Arlington campus of

. Arlington County paid the $50,000 required for the change. This station was closed from March 26, 2020, until June 28, 2020, due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

References

External links

* * The Schumin Web Transit Center
Virginia Square–GMU Station

Monroe Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia Square-GMU (WMATA station) Stations on the Orange Line (Washington Metro) Stations on the Silver Line (Washington Metro) Transportation in Arlington County, Virginia Washington Metro stations in Virginia Railway stations in the United States opened in 1979 1979 establishments in Virginia Railway stations in Virginia at university and college campuses