L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station Upper Level
This is a Washington Metro station in the south-western Federal Center neighbourhood of Washington, DC. The station was opened on 1 July 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It is a transfer station, with two levels: this upper level has two side platforms and is used by the Green and Yellow Lines, while the lower level has an island (central) platform used by the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines. It is also where the Yellow and Green lines converge going north. The station serves five out of the system's six lines, serving the most lines out of any station in the system; only the Red Line does not serve the station.
The Washington Metro is widely known for its soaring, brutalist vaults, but they aren't all the same. In fact, there are eight main station types, although many designs vary based on location. A few stations are unique and do not fit any of the station types.
Metro's architect was a Chicagoan named Harry Weese. His plans for stations mainly centred on creating an awe-inspiring space. Even though patrons may be well below the surface, they will almost always find a cavernous train room. These vaulted stations echo the Great Hall of Daniel Burnham's Union Station and provide the perfect conditions for the light show that occurs with each train's arrival.
The "Waffle" design consists of the coffered vault that Weese originally envisioned for all of Washington's subterranean stations. That spectacular ceiling resembles a waffle, hence the name. These stations were constructed using cast-in-place concrete and proved to be more expensive than other methods. For that reason, designs were later changed. Nevertheless, the Waffle architecture dominates in the downtown stations. Dupont Circle was constructed using pre-cast sections and is the only Waffle-style station to use this method.
Waffle architecture was only constructed during Metro's early years. The first Waffle-style stations opened with the first segment of Metro in 1976. The final stations to include Waffle architecture were Waterfront and Navy Yard, opening in 1991. By this time, other styles were already present in the system, including Arch II at Mount Vernon Square, which had opened earlier that year.
L'Enfant Plaza Metro Station Upper Level
This is a Washington Metro station in the south-western Federal Center neighbourhood of Washington, DC. The station was opened on 1 July 1977, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). It is a transfer station, with two levels: this upper level has two side platforms and is used by the Green and Yellow Lines, while the lower level has an island (central) platform used by the Blue, Orange, and Silver Lines. It is also where the Yellow and Green lines converge going north. The station serves five out of the system's six lines, serving the most lines out of any station in the system; only the Red Line does not serve the station.
The Washington Metro is widely known for its soaring, brutalist vaults, but they aren't all the same. In fact, there are eight main station types, although many designs vary based on location. A few stations are unique and do not fit any of the station types.
Metro's architect was a Chicagoan named Harry Weese. His plans for stations mainly centred on creating an awe-inspiring space. Even though patrons may be well below the surface, they will almost always find a cavernous train room. These vaulted stations echo the Great Hall of Daniel Burnham's Union Station and provide the perfect conditions for the light show that occurs with each train's arrival.
The "Waffle" design consists of the coffered vault that Weese originally envisioned for all of Washington's subterranean stations. That spectacular ceiling resembles a waffle, hence the name. These stations were constructed using cast-in-place concrete and proved to be more expensive than other methods. For that reason, designs were later changed. Nevertheless, the Waffle architecture dominates in the downtown stations. Dupont Circle was constructed using pre-cast sections and is the only Waffle-style station to use this method.
Waffle architecture was only constructed during Metro's early years. The first Waffle-style stations opened with the first segment of Metro in 1976. The final stations to include Waffle architecture were Waterfront and Navy Yard, opening in 1991. By this time, other styles were already present in the system, including Arch II at Mount Vernon Square, which had opened earlier that year.