Planned for wheelchair riders
An elevated station in the Loop, Chicago’s downtown, with elevators. It was built to serve the museums on Michigan Avenue. Check that the elevators are working before you plan the short trip outside to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Written for riders who need working elevators to reach the downtown museums on Michigan Avenue.
Station 41700
Why this stop exists
Wabash Avenue · museum entrances on Michigan Avenue
An accessible station in the Loop. Until you reach the Michigan Avenue sidewalk, the trip depends on the elevator.
Disability & mobility
Chicago Transit Authority station data marks Washington/Wabash as wheelchair-accessible. Some older Loop stations nearby are not. If the elevators here are out, Adams/Wabash is not a step-free way to reach the Art Institute.
Museum
A short trip outside once you reach the street. The museum has its own accessibility page. The train only gets you to Michigan Avenue.
Accessibility page for Art Institute of Chicago
Better for the Art Institute · a day indoors
Park
Same station, but this plan is all outdoors on the plaza. The park paving is mostly flat, and it can be crowded. There is no indoor shelter if the elevators fail.
Accessibility page for Cloud Gate · Millennium Park
Better for time outside in the park
In the Loop, not every station is accessible. For a wheelchair trip to Michigan Avenue, use Washington/Wabash.
If the Washington/Wabash elevators are out, check our live map before you board a train into the Loop, while you can still change your route. Chicago Transit Authority elevator alerts: transitchicago.com/alerts/elevators.
On the ground
Three steps: the elevator, Michigan Avenue, the museum door.
01
The platform is above the street, and the only other way down is stairs. Check our map while you can still change your route.
02
You are already on the museum side of the Loop. There is still a stretch of sidewalk outside, with weather and crowds.
03
If you want fresh air instead of a full museum day, Millennium Park is a few minutes east.
Why this stop feels like this
Older Loop stations look close on a map. For a wheelchair trip to Michigan Avenue, Washington/Wabash is the one to use.
Adams/Wabash looks closer on some maps, but Chicago Transit Authority data does not mark it wheelchair-accessible. Washington/Wabash exists so the Loop has an accessible station for Michigan Avenue.
Before you board, decide where you’re heading (the Art Institute or Cloud Gate). If an elevator is out, change plans; don’t treat it as a small delay.
On the street
Washington/Wabash station
Wabash Avenue · Washington Street
Chicago, Illinois
Wabash Avenue elevators · outside to Michigan Avenue
Brown · Green · Orange · Pink · Purple
Nearby when the elevators work: the Art Institute, Millennium Park. When they don’t: don’t count on Adams/Wabash; it is not marked wheelchair-accessible.
Open Washington/Wabash on the live mapLive elevator status at Washington/WabashAfter the elevator
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.
At the venue
We copied these by hand from each venue’s own pages. They may be out of date or wrong, so confirm on the venue’s page before you go.
Source: Art Institute of Chicago
Source: City of Chicago
Last look
Four things to check before you go.
Make sure the Washington/Wabash elevators are working before you ride into the Loop.
The Art Institute or Cloud Gate. Same station, different time outside.
It may look closer on a map, but it is not marked wheelchair-accessible.
The museum’s website covers its ramps and elevators. Our map covers the station elevators. Check both.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.