Grand Trunk Western station (Lansing) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grand Trunk station
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| Grand Trunk Railroad | |||||||||||
View of station in 2014
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| Location | Lansing, Michigan United States. |
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| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | one floor | ||||||||||
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| Status | restored | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1902 | ||||||||||
| Closed | 1971 | ||||||||||
| Previous names | Grand Trunk Railroad | ||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||
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Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1203 S. Washington Ave. Lansing, Michigan |
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| Built | 1902 | ||||||||||
| Architect | Spier & Rohns | ||||||||||
| Architectural style | Jacobethan | ||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 80004605 | ||||||||||
| Significant dates | |||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | July 3, 1980 | ||||||||||
The Grand Trunk Western station was an old train station in Lansing, Michigan. It was a very important building for history. The station was listed as a special Michigan State Historic Site in 1978. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This means it is a nationally recognized historic place.
History of the Station
The first train tracks came through Lansing in 1856. This was when the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad built its line. More train lines followed in the next years. By the early 1900s, Lansing had six different train lines.
The Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway changed its organization in 1900. After this, they started building new train stations. The REO Motor Car Company announced plans for a new factory. This factory would be built along the Grand Trunk line. So, the railroad decided to build their new station close to the REO plant.
The Grand Trunk company hired the firm of Spier & Rohns to design the new station. Construction on the building started in 1902. It was finished later that same year. The station served as a main stop for all train passengers. It stayed open until 1971, when the railroad closed it down.
In 1972, the building was fixed up and became a restaurant. The outside of the building still looks the same as it did back then. Gerald R. Ford, who later became the 38th president of the United States, ate here. He visited the restaurant during a campaign tour on May 15, 1976.
The building was empty and unused in the early 2000s. Then, in 2010, the Lansing Board of Water & Light began building a power plant next to the old station. As part of their project, they fully restored the historic train station.
What the Station Looks Like
The Lansing Grand Trunk Western station is a single-story building. It is shaped like a rectangle. It is made of red brick and sits on a gray stone foundation. The building is about 33 feet wide and 107 feet long.
The main entrance is inside a two-story brick tower. This tower is ten feet square. The top of the tower has a special wall that looks like a castle, called a crenelated parapet. The roof of the station is covered with red tiles. It also has parts that hang over the sides.
The areas around the windows, the sills, and the edges of the gables are made of light-colored limestone. At one end of the building, there is a waiting platform. This platform has a roof supported by wooden posts. The building's style is called Jacobethan, which is an older English architectural style.
