Grand Central Station (Chicago) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grand Central Station
Grand Central in 1963
Location	201 West Harrison Street, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41°52′24″N 87°38′03″W / 41.87333°N 87.63417°W / 41.87333; -87.63417
Owned by	Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
History
Opened	December 8, 1890
Closed	November 8, 1969
Services
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line Gary toward Jersey City 63rd Street toward Jersey City Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station Terminus Pere Marquette Railway Main Line 63rd Street toward Grand Rapids Preceding station Chicago Great Western Railway Following station Forest Park toward Oelwein Chicago – Oelwein Terminus Preceding station Soo Line Following station Forest Park toward Portal Main Line Terminus Preceding station Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad Following station Halsted Street toward Chicago Heights Suburban service Terminus Halsted Street toward Thatcher's Park Chicago & Northern Pacific – Main Line Halsted Street toward Altenheim Chicago & Northern Pacific – Harlem Division
Abandoned service proposal Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station Harvey towards Westport Terre Haute Division Terminus
Grand Central Passenger Station
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1890
Demolished	1971
NRHP reference No.	71001084
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	Unknown
Removed from NRHP	1971

Grand Central Station was a busy train station in downtown Chicago, Illinois. It operated from 1890 to 1969. The station was located at 201 West Harrison Street, near the Chicago River.

The waiting room of Grand Central Station had tall ceilings and marble floors.

The famous architect Solon Spencer Beman designed Grand Central Station. It was built for the Wisconsin Central Railroad. Later, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bought the station in 1910. They used it as their main Chicago stop for trains like the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C.. Other train companies also used the station, including the Soo Line Railroad and the Chicago Great Western Railway. Grand Central Station closed on November 8, 1969, and was taken down in 1971.

Building Grand Central Station

In October 1889, construction began on the new Grand Central Station. It was built near the Chicago River to make it easy for people and goods to travel by train and boat.

Station Design and Features

Architect Solon Spencer Beman designed the station in a style called Norman Castellated. This style looks like old castles. He used strong materials like brick, brownstone, and granite. The building had big arches, castle-like walls, and many towers.

Its most famous part was a huge 247 ft (75 m) tower at one corner. This tower had a giant clock, 13 ft (4.0 m) wide, which was one of the biggest in the United States at the time. An 11,000 lb (5,000 kg) bell used to ring every hour from the tower, but it was later removed.

Inside, Grand Central Station was also very fancy. The waiting room had shiny marble floors, tall Corinthian-style columns, and beautiful stained-glass windows. There was even a restaurant. The station also had a 100-room hotel for travelers, but it closed in 1901.

The train shed of Grand Central Station was a marvel of engineering.

Behind the main building was the train shed. This was a special roof made of glass and steel that supported itself without extra pillars. It was 555 ft × 156 ft × 79 ft (169 m × 48 m × 24 m) and was one of the largest in the world when it was built. The train shed covered six tracks and could hold very long trains. The whole station cost over one million dollars to build.

Early Owners and Changes

The Chicago and Northern Pacific Railroad officially opened Grand Central Station on December 8, 1890. They wanted to use it as their main stop in Chicago. Soon, other railroads like the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad also started using the station.

Later, the Northern Pacific Railroad faced financial problems. In 1910, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad bought Grand Central Station. They also bought the train tracks leading to it. This created the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT).

Train Services at Grand Central

Grand Central Station was the smallest of Chicago's train stations. It was usually quieter than other big terminals. It didn't serve as many cross-country travelers or daily commuters. For example, in 1912, it served only about 3,175 passengers each day. This was much less than other Chicago stations.

Trains had to take a long, winding path to reach Grand Central Station from the east.

The station was home to some of the Baltimore and Ohio's most famous trains, like the Capitol Limited to Washington, D.C.. However, the train tracks leading to the station from the east were very winding. This made trains travel many extra miles through the city.

Major Passenger Trains

Grand Central Station was the end point for several important train lines:

• Baltimore and Ohio Railroad: Trains like the Capitol Limited and Columbian went to New York City and Washington, D.C..
• Chicago Great Western Railway (until 1956): Trains like the Minnesotan went to Minneapolis, Minnesota. All their passenger services stopped in 1956.
• Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) (until 1965): Their Laker train went to Duluth, Minnesota.
• Pere Marquette Railway: Trains like the Grand Rapids Flyer went to Grand Rapids and Muskegon, Michigan.

Commuter Trains

Grand Central Station also had some short-lived local train services for people traveling to and from nearby suburbs.

• The Wisconsin Central operated trains to Altenheim.
• The Chicago Terminal Transfer Railroad ran trains to Chicago Heights starting in 1900. This service ended around 1915.
• The Chicago Great Western also ran trains through Forest Park to towns like Elmhurst and St. Charles. This service stopped in 1906.

Closing and Demolition

Grand Central Station in 1963, looking south down Wells Street.

After World War II, fewer people traveled by train. Grand Central Station became even quieter. By 1956, the Chicago Great Western stopped all its passenger service to Chicago. By 1963, only ten trains used the station, and by 1969, only about 210 passengers used it each day.

The city government wanted to combine train services into fewer, larger stations. Grand Central was old and not used much, so it was chosen to close. It was described as "decaying, dreary, and sadly out of date."

Because of fewer passengers and pressure from the city, the train companies moved their services to other Chicago stations. The Soo Line moved to Central Station in 1963. The last trains left Grand Central Station on November 8, 1969. They then started using the Chicago and North Western Terminal.

After it closed, the railroad company believed the land was worth a lot for new buildings. So, the tracks were removed, and the entire station was torn down in 1971.

What's There Today

Today, the land where Grand Central Station stood is mostly empty. Part of it is used as a dog park. In 1984, a large building called River City was built nearby. It was planned to be much bigger, but only one part was finished.

The exact spot where the station building was remained empty until 2020. Now, luxury apartments called Alta Grand Central have been built there.

In 2012, some architects suggested building a new train station on the site for high-speed trains to O'Hare Airport. In 2016, construction began on a new project called Project Riverline. This plan includes building over 3,600 homes along the Chicago River. It is expected to be finished by 2024.

Grand Central's Legacy

Even though it was torn down, Grand Central Station is now seen as an important part of Chicago's history. Many historians and architects call it "the queen of the city's old train stations." They regret that such a beautiful building was destroyed.

The B&OCT Bascule Bridge

Looking southwest, the B&OCT bascule bridge over the Chicago River is in the foreground.

When Grand Central Station was built, trains crossed the Chicago River on a bridge. This bridge was replaced in 1901 with a taller one to let bigger boats pass.

In the 1930s, the Chicago River was made straighter and wider. The United States Department of War asked the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to build a new bridge. This new bridge was built in 1930, further south from the station. This made the train route to Grand Central Station even longer and more winding.

As of 2020, this B&OCT bridge over the Chicago River is no longer used.