We have already looked at 10 impressive US train stations that were bulldozed and replaced with lesser structures, if they were replaced at all. Here are six more stops on our tour of the nation’s legacy of demolished depots.
1. Columbus Union Station
In 1897, Columbus opened its third Union Station, a large complex designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. The building, expansive compared to previous facilities to handle additional traffic, had a monumental arched facade along High Street and a large train shed. Over time, elements of the structure were removed until the whole station was demolished in 1979 after Amtrak service ceased in 1977. Now a wacky convention center and several lanes of I-670 stand in its place.
THEN: A showpiece train station
NOW: A bizarre pastel-shaded convention center
2. Philadelphia Broad Street Station
The Pennsylvania Railroad opened the Broad Street Station in downtown Philadelphia in 1881 to serve all suburban and intercity traffic. The terminal was for a time the largest in the world, and by 1930 it was serving 450 trains a day. That huge traffic, however, made it too small, so Penn built two new stations — 30th Street and Suburban Station — in its place. In disuse, the Broad Street facility was demolished in 1953 and replaced by Penn Center, a complex of office buildings. One good result of the terminal’s destruction: the demolition of the “Chinese Wall,” a giant viaduct dividing downtown used by trains travelling from Broad Street Station to the west.
THEN: At the time of construction, the world’s largest train depot
NOW: The Penn Center office complex
3. New Orleans Union Station
Louis Sullivan, one of America’s most prominent architects, only designed one station, but his Union Station in New Orleans was a gracious slice of this southern city. The terminal opened in 1892 as the primary destination for Illinois Central Railroad trains from Chicago. Rising traffic and the advantages of one station for all lines encouraged the city’s railroads to join together in the construction of a new Union Passenger Terminal, which was completed in the 1950s directly adjacent to the older terminus, which was then demolished.
THEN: The only train station designed by great US architect Louis Sullivan, mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright
NOW: New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal
4. Minneapolis Great Northern Depot
The beaux-arts Minneapolis Great Northern Depot was the city’s largest station. When it opened in 1913, it served as a prominent landmark along the Mississippi River, but it was destroyed in 1978 after Amtrak ended service to downtown Minneapolis. In its place is the new Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
THEN: A great Beaux Arts depot
(Via)
NOW: For many years the site was empty, today the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
5. Portland (Maine) Union Station
Service between Boston and Portland ended in 1965, four years after the city’s Union Station was demolished; only in the past decade have passenger trains again run along the line. Union Station, built in 1873, was the main terminus for Boston & Maine and Portland & Rochester services.
THEN: A appealing station with a clock tower
NOW: A new station that looks like a drive-thru bank branch
6. Milwaukee Union Station
The Milwaukee Union Station served passengers between 1886 and 1965, when it closed after being replaced by a new Intermodal Station. A week after shuttering, the terminal was struck by fire, subsequently bulldozed, and replaced by an office building. Not the prettiest ending for a proud Tudor-style brick structure with an impressive clock tower.
THEN: An impressive Tudor-style station
NOW: A squat office complex
(Top pic - Chicago and North Western Rail Terminal, partially demolished in 1984)
June 25th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
[...] The Daily Dig - World’s Scariest Bike Path Edition 6 More Great Train Stations Lost To The Wrecking Ball [...]
June 25th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Ah yes…Minneapolis Great Northern Depot.
I think it’s worth noting that, like I said on that last story about stations, this station was *CALLED* Great Northern Depot, but it was for all practical purposes a “union station.” It obviously served the Great Northern Railway, but was ALSO home to Norther Pacific, Chicago Burlington & Quincy (Burlington Route), Chicago Great Western, Minneapolis & St. Louis, Chicago & Northwestern, and occasionally the Rock Island.
However, the Rock Island primarily used the Milwaukee Road Depot located on 3rd Av. & Washington Av. The Soo Line also used this depot.
But I digress…
June 25th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
What’s amazing to me is that some people make the argument that tearing these down is progress, due to the lack of train travel at that time, in order to make room for other projects. What we have seen in nearly every case is that what was put in place is usually a complete waste (parking lot, Amtrak shed, interstate off ramps), with a few exceptions.
The idea that minimal funding should be spent on public spaces, which gives them a utilitarian nature, is completely the wrong way to go about things. The direct effect of this lack of investment is obvious, look at the Amtrak sheds across the country, single story, non-descript shacks. I’m not saying every station has to be over the top and built like a castle, but if it is already there, then why not preserve it.
This demolition equals revitalization attitude was present in Boston, like so many other cities in the US from the late ’50s - the early ’80s and what happened in Boston is the tearing down of Scollay Square to make way for the ugliest building in the world and the demolition of the West End for ugly high rises and chain hotels and stores.
Luckily planners and cities are beginning to realize that revitalization is much better than demolition.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I have to disagree with the inclusion of Broad Street Station. The Chinese Wall was a block wide and 3 story high train viaduct that ran for 10+ blocks through the heart of downtown. The link you have to the Chinese Wall in the post has a more graphic aerial picture of how the viaduct scarred the city.
Burying the lines and creating suburban station was a definite improvement - especially since the station is for commuter trains, not intercity rail.
The Penn Center complex the city has today is relatively mediocre, but the concentration of office towers over the core commuter rail station is eminently practical and transit-sensible.
June 25th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Stirner-
I agree, actually — and we’re not trying to make a black and white argument here.
But even in cases where it was done for the right reasons, it’s still interesting to look at what was torn down and the generally pale nature of what replaces it.
Frankly, I don’t think Penn Center is bad looking for an office complex. But I can’t help but remember of something Zip Car founder Robin Chase said in an interview with us recently (still on front page, toward the bottom). She was talking about adaptability in our buildings and how disturbingly unadaptable glass office towers tend to be. That is, if you don’t use them for cubicle farm-style corporate offices, what the hell are they good for? (Check out the interview, seriously — it’s well worth it.)
In that respect, these train stations tend to be better and more valuable structures than what replaced them. Even if in some particular cases it made sense to demolish them anyway.
-Jebediah
June 25th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Just based on the pictures… I happen to prefer the “new” New Orleans station (it doesn’t look that new). It’s got good symmetry, it’s a nice modern take on classical columns, and I really dig the way the station name is displayed.
Again, this is just based on the pics above.
Jason
June 25th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
It’s hard to argue that the architechture of the original Broad Street station is much better of the successor buildings on the site. The primary negative aspects were the supporting train shed and the viaduct.
It would have been nice if the PRR had been willing to try to preserve the station, but demolish the offending elements. If i had to guess, there was probably a fair share of animus towards the structure as a whole. Suburban station was completed in 1930, and 30th street station completed in the early 30’s. But the depression prevented closure and redevelopment of the station and viaduct. It took until 1952 for Broad Street station to be finally closed. Two decades is a long time to wait, which might have made it easier to just demolish the whole thing and start from scratch.
As a side note, if you want to look into station conversions done right, a piece on the preservation and re-purposing of the Reading Terminal train shed is worth looking into.
The “Underground Pedestrian Concourse” that was built under Penn Center (and extended blocks in all directions), is also an interesting piece of urban infrastruture that is little appreciated (aside from the homeless people who seem to call parts of it home).
June 25th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
This is an excellent–and very sad–series. Thanks.
June 25th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
The Broad Street station is an interesting example, since 30th St Station was seen as a huge step forward in passenger operations and in civic improvements to the city (Pennsylvania/JFK Blvd and the Market Street Subway), and the station is surely a great example of successful surviving stations.
The Broad St Station complex wasn’t well suited to 20th century land uses, as were many 19th century stations discussed, or even newer stations built into 19th century terminals/yards, with their huge yards at surface level. This was worsened by the fact that some city centers developed around the stations (a result of 19th century commerce being fueled by the railroads), heightening demand for the railroad property that subsequently became under-utilized as rail was replaced as a mode of passenger travel.
When you look at stations that continue to be (relatively) successful, such as Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station, they were well-planned operationally and land-use wise (ie use of air rights over yards, sub-surface approaches), even if Penn is a dingy shadow of its former self. In the case of GCT, very few people on Park Ave in the upper 40’s know they are over a very active rail yard.
Perhaps one of the most important lessons from the loss of Penn Station and the desire for a replacement in the Farley Post Office is that the building itsself can be as important as the under-lying (in this case literally) infrastructure.
Two of the other saddest stories, not mentioned as they’re not (yet) demolished, are Buffalo Central Terminal and Michigan Central Station - both continue to deteriorate in tandem with the cities around them.
One wonders how many of these would have survived had they had the kind of traffic that have kept other stations viable and an integral part of their cities.
June 25th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Actually the Portland, Maine station is inaccurately placed. The photo of the new location is in fact the new train station, but it’s built in a totally different place. The site of the old Union Station is now a discount strip mall. It’s even worse than the picture shown.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
My maternal grandfather Giuseppi Gallucci, born in Italy in the 1880s, came to Columbus, Ohio at the turn of the 20th Century and worked as a brakeman for the Penn Central Railroad until he retired. Many times, as a very young boy, I recall riding the rails to Pittsburgh or Chicago and leaving from the grandeur of Union Station. As a young man who found a calling in photography, I took a now-historic picture, using my 4×5 Graflex Press Camera, of the station and its now-relocated arch the day before they were both demolished to make way for the odd, pastel-colored convention center that now sits in its place (as pictured above). I always considered it a great loss for the city, but when I worked closely with the Columbus Historic Landmarks Foundation in the early 1980s, it soon became clear that Columbus, in its rush to be so modern, so contemporary, was driven by real estate interests to tear down the old fabric of the community to make way for their modern, homogenized projects. The loss of Union Station stands as a giant irony now that talk has begun again in Ohio about resuming passenger rail service after nearly 42 years of not having it. To be part of this plan, if it ever materializes, Columbus will need to build some sort of station, but since it’s looking at a giant deficit like many other cities, it won’t have the capital to fund a new station. And what ever it does build, it won’t compare to the sheer splendor of Union Station.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Wouldn’t most of these tear-downs have coincided roughly with the urban renewal movement of the 60’s? And, wouldn’t they have been pushed along by the anti-streetcar/pro-bus strategy of removing tracks, stations and all usable vestiges of passenger rail? While GM, Firestone and SOCAL were busy killing off the streetcar, weren’t the railroads watching to see how they might divest themselves of all passenger service? After we (the US govt) gave many RRs the land for their routes and subsidized these routes with mail contracts, we are repaid through a business model that that bribed our politicians to help the RRs screw us by selling off the steel rails and then the land under them.
Now that the return to passenger rail seems all but inevitable, the all-freight lines are busy erecting barriers to the use of their rails for passenger traffic. The destruction of our grand termini was just part of the insurance policy.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
The various Pennsylvania stations in downtown Philadelphia presented a complex logistical problem. By the time the railroad began to electrify its suburban lines in 1915 over 500 trains a day were handled in and out of Broad Street. Then the huge arched-roof train shed burned in 1922. Samuel Rea (then the PRR president) decided that a comprehensive plan was needed to prepare for the future. Also, byt tha time, the diminutive West Philadelphia Station could no longer handle the through traffic between New York and Washington.
President Rea’s successor, General William Wallace Atterbury took over the problem and, in a short time the plans for Suburban Station and 30th St. Station were made. When the “Great Depression” hit in October 1929 and the formidable coffers of the Pennsylvania were running dry, Atterbury went to Washington and secured government loans to contine these projects as well as electrification of the Washington-New York main line. These loans were quickly repaid in full after the new facilities produced revenue.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Perhaps to cheer people up, you should do a series on stations that, against all odds, were saved.
Worcester’s Union Station is an example:
http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/ocm/economic/union.htm
June 25th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
It would be cool to see some photos of great train stations still extant.
June 27th, 2009 at 12:48 am
As I started reading this list I had Portland’s Union Station in mind, and here it is!
I do need to note a correction however. Though the “Now” station does represent the only rail station currently in Portland (which actually started as a bus station; rail service was added a few years ago), it is not on the site of the old Union Station (St John Street).
Here’s what is:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&q=st+john+street+portland+maine&ie=UTF8&ll=43.652628,-70.279332&spn=0.003093,0.006968&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=43.652503,-70.279304&panoid=FANVdgMlzMDJvcB06JYOew&cbp=12,239.41,,0,0.98
June 27th, 2009 at 12:54 am
Whoops…I just noticed that my post was a duplicate. But, I should add that if you travel just up the street a bit you will see the First Atlantic building which is visible in the left edge of the old Union Station post card. A little something for those who wanted to see great railroad architecture that wasn’t demolished foolishly.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Thank you for posting this wonderful retrospective.
Yes indeed, so much greatness has been lost. When we look back, it wasn’t so long ago when America was building, fueled by the immigration boom, the WWII victory, and so on… We had the wind at our backs, and we felt as though we were invincible.
Those were heady times. We should fondly remember them, and we should often reflect upon and study where we came from as Americans. Remember that solid, if young and boisterous creed, bent on building a greater future? Remember, it seems like yesterday, when we “invented” suburbs? We were so in tune with where we were going, there was little time to question it.
Alas, I don’t see that same spirit today. I would like to think the American spirit has risen to greater and loftier goals, but I don’t see it. The current trend toward socialism seems diametrically opposed to individualism, a “can do” attitude, and the freedom we so lustily sought just a brief time ago. We fought so hard to achieve our freedom… So much bloodshed.
I fear that we are lacking the spark and the impetus to continue to be even as great as we once were. I pray I’m wrong.
July 1st, 2009 at 6:29 am
I’ll have to go rooting around the ‘net for better pictures of Louis Sullivan’s Union Station; the one here doesn’t seem to do it justice. But then, there was probably more rail traffic in and out of NOLA than there is today.
Today, the Union Passenger Terminal is (essentially) one squat block. Size wise it probably isn’t larger than fifty yards across, and another twenty the other way. Rail and the Hound are the only travel options, and it doesn’t connect with any of the local bus routes.
Overall, the Louis Sullivan looks like a freight terminal as opposed to a passenger terminal.
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
These were truly beautiful buildings, a huge irreplaceable loss. Thanks for putting this information together. In the Cincinnati area, the outstanding 1933 Union Terminal survives as the Museum Center. Amtrak has returned. If you have time, view the site:
http://www.cincymuseum.org/explore_our_sites/union_terminal/presentation.asp
July 6th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
You should post a picture of the Columbus highway cap that was built in the same spot to look like the train station.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Denver’s Union Station remains one of the best buildings downtown, so not all is lost.
http://bit.ly/QjesJ
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
The operational problems of Broad Street Station were apparent to the Pennsylvania Railroad as early as the first decade of the 20th Century. The first thing to be done was to eliminate it as a stop on its east-west trains, which shaved an hour on travel times. The other items have been covered, though I should note that the trainshed fire occurred June 11, 1923. In the end, the actual station building was doomed because it was a symbol of an old, corrupt political system that dominated Philadelphia from just after the Civil War until 1952, when a new political era of reform took root across the street from the station; no matter what happened, the station’s days were numbered.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
A comprehensive listing of the surviving classic stations would be worthwhile. A few that I know include a glorious Union Station in Macon, GA, to put ATL to shame, Penn Station in Pittsburgh, one red-brick glory in El Paso, and two beauties in San Antonio. Recently Ft Worth tried to convert one old station now used for Trinity Express trains to Dallas into a festival market with some up-market retail; but it looked pretty sad on a recent recessionary summer’s eve drive past.
Of course, what all these stations need most is more trains. They are dreary now because they are served once or twice a day, or twice a night, like Cincinnati. If all Amtrak routes had two daily trains each way it would help them come alive.
Adding a more routes could make a good change. Reviving the Pioneer to Seattle would give more life to Denver’s Union Station. Putting in the proposed Front Range service Denver-Colorado-Pueblo-Albuquerque-Las Cruces-El Paso would bring even more energy to Denver, and to El Paso’s sleepy Victorian pile as well. Opening the route Atlanta-Birmingham-Jackson-Shreveport-Dallas-El Paso-L.A. would then make the El Paso station a living breathing thing. It would be urban renewal by rail.
August 12th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I haven’t seen any mention of the San Francisco train station at 3rd and Townsend, which was built for the Panama-Pacific exposition. That terminal was torn down in the mid-1970s, with a new terminal built one block west. Pictures of the old terminal can be found at .
During most of the time between 1975 and now, the site was used as a parking lot and mobile home campground and storage area. Today, there are condos on the site: .
Photos of the current train station, at 4th and Townsend/King, can be found via the station’s Wikipedia page, .
August 13th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
And when rail travel assumes a greater importance in american travel, we will value such depots as much as we once valued these.
I grew up wanting to ride trains, but they retreated before I could get into using them. At least I got to see Chicago Union Station in 2001. Handsome, if not a bit overdone with the ceilings so high up.
As a matter of fact, isn’t part of the problem of operations of older facilities also dependent upon efficiencies of operation of said facilities? We often hear that larger buildings are harder to heat, very expensive to heat and maintain, and so forth.
August 14th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
what about the Burnham-designed Southern Railways Terminal in NOLA on Canal at Basin Street (http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/CLF&CISOPTR=9253&CISOBOX=1&REC=2)? now it’s a neutral ground with a statue of Simon Bolivar (http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/LHP&CISOPTR=8953&CISOBOX=1&REC=14), which speaks to New Orleans’ Latin American connections. nothing like those decisions made in the late 1950s (actually the development of the UPT happened in tandem with the destruction of the Southern terminal)…
August 16th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Someone asked about stations still standing. Union Station in St. Louis is a beautiful example. From wikipedia: “At its height, the station combined the St. Louis passenger services of 22 railroads. At its opening, it was the world’s largest and busiest railroad station and its trainshed was the largest roof span in the world.”
It’s a beautiful building and I’m so glad it’s still standing. It’s a Marriott/mall right now, but at least it’s still something.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
GN depot at Minneapolis mn. my father was the distrist line man from Sank center to Barnsville mn.
I went through the depot every year from the time I was 1 until I was 15. The William Crooks sat in the main waiting room for years. They had a model rail road area off the main
waiting room as much as I wanted I never was there durning operations. We changed from the Winpig Limited or later the Western Star to the CB&Q to go to Chicago. It will be missed by me what a place for a child.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Greensboro, NC still has its 1927 train station intact & beautifully restored. Lots of brasswork inside as well as murals to the original tenant-Southern Railways. Amtrak has also restored train stations in Rocky Mount, Wilson, & Selma, NC. I hope that someday, New York will rebuild Penn Station into a magnificent structure.
September 13th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Thats great. I hate seeing old crappy run down buildings replaced.
September 24th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I remember Portland’s station very well and have a photo of the original structure on my office wall. At least the building that replaced it has gone back to being a train station, as it was a tacky strip mall until the Downeaster restored train service to the area.
September 24th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Jon said: “Two of the other saddest stories, not mentioned as they’re not (yet) demolished, are Buffalo Central Terminal and Michigan Central Station - both continue to deteriorate in tandem with the cities around them.”
Good news on the Buffalo Central Terminal….it’s being saved!
A not-for-profit preservation group bought the terminal back in 1997 and have slowly been working to restore it. Major stabilization has been undertaken and the building decay has lessened. It’s been alarmed and the vandals no longer have free rein to destroy the building.
As many of the original fixtures were stripped away and are scattered all over the world, quality reproductions have been created (such as the railings) and there are plans for more (such as replicating the Art Deco lighting fixtures). The original clock that stood in the main concourse has been brought back and it looks wonderful in its original spot. The preservation group does tours through the terminal to raise money and awareness. They hold events there such as an Octoberfest, model train show, etc. I just went through a tour there this past Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the inside of the building. I and the others learned about the historical past, plans for the future and took hundreds of photos to document the beautiful building. It’s fantastic the amount of Art Deco touches scattered through the building.
One thing that’s seriously being discussed is making the old terminal part of the area’s high speed rail plan. Being that it is located on the main line track (along with many other positives), the idea is gaining steam and now has some political backing.
http://buffalocentralterminal.org/
Thanks to Crooks and Liars for linking to this site!
September 29th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Maybe it’s a stretch to say this, but the demolishing of these beautific historic landmarks is symptomatic of our lack of historical perspective in other matters of American and world history. We are a country devoted to putting the past in the past even to our own detriment; yet we will spend billions of dollars and our precious little vacation time going to Europe and Asia–in large part to enjoy and behold their old, crumbling ancient wonders. We are so schizoid.
October 10th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
A station worth mentioning is Union Station in Providence, RI built in the early 1900’s.
Though no longer used for train travel, all the associated buildings as well as the main station are now being reused. In fact, a Marriott hotel modeled after the architecture of the station sits where the tracks used to be.
In the 1980’s, the tracks were relocated underground to the north and a new smaller station was built.
History and pictures can be viewed at:
http://www.artinruins.com/arch/?id=stillinuse&pr=unionstation#top6
All but the first two pictures, (the old Union Station which burned in 1896), are of the later station that opened in 1898.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I think it’s worth mentioning that Union Station in Portland, OR is still standing tall, used daily, and looking quite spiff. A section was added on to create a bus transit hub, certainly an advantage for people arriving by train. I’ve been through the interior, and photographed it, and it’s still true to it’s original style. However, it isn’t the original Union Station. The original burned down around 1930 or so (don’t have the exact date on hand).
The point here is that this kind of architecture doesn’t come along much anymore. These days everything is built with one goal in mind: how can we build it as cheap as possible. And that leads to buildings like the hideous New Orleans station, which reminds me of post-WW2 German architecture, or perhaps Coldwar-era Soviet buildings. Large, poured concrete, with a slight and sickly nod towards ornamentation, usually in the form of pseudo columns that lend it more an air of a prison than anything else.
Yes, money is an issue. It always is. But perhaps we need to realize that it shouldn’t always be the driving force behind every decision. I’m a small business owner myself, and I’d happily cut into my own profits to a reasonable extent if I could rent a more expensive space in a building like the old Penn Station, rather than some generic modern business “park.”
Pamela has the right of it, I think. We’re too eager to move “forward” without really understanding if it’s progress at all.
November 26th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
i remember the milwaukee road depot from my childhood and how the landmark clock tower could be seen from a distance. to destroy something like that is not only a sin, but just plain stupid.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Wow what a sad demise of some great architecture. You are missing one of the greats though, check out Buffalo Central Terminal. It’s an amazing art deco masterpiece that still stands abandoned. Many of the out buildings have been destroyed or are falling down. The Buffalo train station now is a small brick cube hidden under a highway overpass. That’s a sad decline.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:25 pm
My memories are of the Dearborn Station in Chicago. We used that station to go on family vacations to Nashville, Tennessee. The train was called the Georgia Hummingbird. Those were the days. I agree with Pamela and Tom above. Sad to see those beautiful structures gone.
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:53 pm
The brick, multistory headhouse (entrance) to Dearborn Station (Chicago) has been restored, for commercial use. The trainshed and tracks behind it are gone. Other than Union Station, which was discussed above, it’s the only surviving station in Chicago which had long distance trains. Some of my favorites: San Diego (1915), Cincinnati Union Terminal (1933) and Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (1939), perhaps the last great station built in the US.