Convention Center station (MetroLink)

Convention Center station is a light rail station on the Red and Blue lines of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This subway station is located beneath the intersection of 6th Street and Washington Avenue in St. Louis' Central Business District.

History
Convention Center was built within the historic St. Louis Freight Tunnel, constructed in 1874 to carry trains between the Eads Bridge and the Mill Creek Valley rail yards. The tunnel closed after a final Amtrak train passed through in 1974. Rehabilitation began in 1991 in preparation for the opening of MetroLink in 1993, which now uses the tunnel to connect communities in Illinois and Missouri via downtown St. Louis. In 1992, just east of this station, a portion of the tunnel beneath Washington Avenue and Broadway collapsed, injuring no one.

On January 20, 2023, Metro Transit announced that Convention Center would undergo a full rehabilitation. These improvements include updating elevators, escalators and stair access, lighting upgrades, improved signage and wayfinding, a deep cleaning, and general infrastructure upgrades like new walls and flooring.

Station layout
The station's westbound platform is accessed via an entrance in the base of the former Stix, Baer, and Fuller flagship department store building, now known as The Laurel. The westbound side can also be accessed via a set of subway stairs on the northeast corner of 6th Street and Washington Avenue. The eastbound platform is accessed via a set of subway stairs, an escalator, and an elevator in the public plaza of 600 Washington in addition to another set of subway stairs across 6th Street.

Public artwork
In 1997, Metro's Arts in Transit program commissioned the work Birds in Flight by artists Peter Tao, Helen Lee, and Stuart and Stacey Morse for installation in the tunnel between the Convention Center and Laclede's Landing stations. The painted panels are meant to mimic the motion of a flying bird.

Notable places nearby

 * America's Center
 * The Dome at America's Center
 * Downtown St. Louis
 * Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel
 * Missouri Athletic Club
 * National Blues Museum
 * Washington Avenue Historic District