“All east-bound express trains on the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad, in connection with the Michigan Central - the “Niagara Falls Route” - now stop at their magnificent new up-town station at 138th Street, New York City. This station, which is in the immediate vicinity of some of the most populous suburbs of New York, accommodates a population of over 300,000, and is accessible by Madison Avenue and Third Avenue street cars from all parts of Harlem or the upper section of the city. The Michigan Central trains leaving Chicago at 9 A.M., 3:10 P.M., 8:15 P.M , and 9 P.M., and Ann Arbor at 8:08 A M., 5:30 P.M., 10:33 A.M., 9:45 P.M, 4:35 A.M., stop at 138th Street and reach Grand Central Station ten minutes later.”
Health and Pleasure on America’s Greatest Railroad (1895)
"For the accommodation of up-town residents the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad maintains a handsome and perfectly appointed passenger station at 138th Street, New York, at which most of the fast express trains stop. Tickets reading to New York by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad or the New York & Harlem Railroad, will be available on all trains, e
I have yet to reply to any of your photo postings, but the photos are magnificient, so I had to comment.
But, I am a Chicagoan. You have to start moving west and post some old time photos of railroad structures in Chicago. In that regard, we are no Second City. What you got?
Sad to say, the beautiful station building on Madison has been replaced by a modernistic building. And the concourse building at Union Station has been replaced by by another such building. At least, the headhouse building is still there.
Chicago does not seem to value its past, particularly with regard to its passenger train stations. We have demolished Central Station, Grand Central Station, LaSalle Street Station, NorthWestern Station and Union Station. Only Dearborn Station still stands, but only as a concourse of shops. Shame on us!
Its hard for us to imagine here in 2010 that 138th St., NYC, even 125th St. NYC for that matter, were once the way northern suburbs of the city almost 8 miles from the Battery and Wall St.!
In Omaha they saved two out the three stations , The former Omaha Road depot at 32nd and webster was torn down years ago. It is nice to see the great buildings where ever thy are being saved
Yes I guess it was too expensive to rebuild the roofs as they were. Anyway by the 1920s Chicago had many tall buildings so the height of the clock tower mattered less than it did in 1884.
The New York Times, Dec. 22, 1922
CHICAGO STATION DESTROYED BY FIRE
Flames Sweep Away the Old Dearborn Street Station, Which Has Been Used by 8 Lines.
CHICAGO, Dec. 21 - Fire starting a few minutes before 4 o’clock this afternoon destroyed the Dearborn Street Railroad Station, formerly known as the Polk Street Depot, and left eight railroads homeless in Chicago. The building, erected in 1884, was valued at $300,000, but will cost more than $1,000,000 to replace, it is said…
This photograph shows how historic old Dearborn Station, that was partly destroyed by fire last month, looks after having been remodeled at a cost of $200,000. The original building was designed by architect Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz in 1883, and was considered one of the finest stations in the world at the time. E. H. Lee, vice-president and chief engineer of the C. & W. I., had charge of the remodeling. While Dearborn Station may have become somewhat old-fashioned and rather small for the amount of business handled, yet even today it is undoubtedly the most convenient station in Chicago so far as the traveling public is concerned. The traveler leaves his cab or street car and is enabled to purchase his ticket and board his train without going either up or down stairs, and in less distance than in any other Chicago station…
Thanks for posting that story about Dearborn Station. While all of us Chicago-area railfans are familiar with the fire at Dearborn Station, I have never had the opportunity to read such a comprehensive story about the fire and its aftermath.
I find it ironic that among the six downtown Chicago passenger stations, Dearborn Station was held in the least esteem. Yet, today, it is the only one of the six that still stands, albeit not as a train station but, rather, housing a series of shops.
