CTA announces pop-up activation at the Central Park Pink Line
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) on Wednesday, November 11, will host a pop-up celebration of Route 66 led by Jones Corner Store and the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot. CTA riders will be able to visit the Central Park Pink Line station and experience a museum with exhibits that feature the famous roadway and celebrate its centennial along with North Lawndale’s place in its storied history. The pop-up will remain open until November 30.
“Our stations are part of the neighborhoods we serve, and we want them to be welcoming places that reflect the people and stories around them,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “We’re proud to partner with Jones Corner Store and the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot to celebrate North Lawndale’s place in Route 66 history and give riders another reason to stop, explore and connect with this community.”
Taking place within the Central Park Pink Line station’s concession space, the pop-up museum represents CTA’s commitment to creative placemaking partnerships as part of its “welcoming spaces” approach to transit-supportive development. The installation will be open through the end of November every Wednesday through Friday from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm and Saturdays from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
CTA is also celebrating Route 66 with a specially designed Route 66 Ventra Card co-created with Choose Chicago. Riders can purchase the specialty Route 66 card at ventrachicago.com.
The rail station provides a venue for a community-driven creative concept rooted in the history and culture of the neighborhood. Utilizing unoccupied concession spaces brings active uses that can enliven and revitalize the station environment by providing amenities to customers and the community. By creating safer, cleaner, and more inviting stations in partnership with artists, businesses, and community-based organizations, the project demonstrates how transit providers and partners can collaborate to build vibrant, transit-oriented communities.
“The Lawndale Pop-Up Spot and Jones Corner Store are excited for this special opportunity to mark the centennial of Route 66 with this immersive installation,” said Jonathan Kelley, co-founder of the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot. “The city's longest stretch of Historic Route 66 is on Ogden Avenue in North Lawndale; Ogden was the West Side's ‘motor row’ for decades and continues its legacy as a vital corridor for the neighborhood.”
“We invite the city - and the world! - to experience a slice of Route 66 in Chicago through the perspectives of its residents,” said Jay Simon, co-founder of Jones Corner Store.
The Lawndale Pop-Up Spot is a community museum that features exhibitions by and for the North Lawndale community.
Jones Corner Store is a creative studio named in honor of Grandpa Jones' original neighborhood corner store from the 1980s. Jones Corner Store is the creator of Elvin the Elephant, featured in the Elvin Explores series of books. In 2026, they released Elvin Explore North Lawndale on Route 66 to mark the highway’s centennial.
Beginning in Chicago and stretching to Santa Monica, Calif., U.S. Route 66 was designated on November 11, 1926. Throughout its history, the roadway’s cultural prominence has been celebrated in film, song, and popular culture.
In North Lawndale, Route 66 follows Ogden Avenue, passing the front entrance of the Central Park Pink Line station.
Organizations throughout Chicago and Illinois are celebrating the anniversary with programming and special events, supported by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and others.
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