Pere Marquette Railroad Depot, Bay City Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pere Marquette Railroad Depot, Bay City Station
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | 919 Boutell Pl., Bay City, Michigan |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | William T. Cooper |
| NRHP reference No. | 82002828 |
| Added to NRHP | April 15, 1982 |
The Bay City Station is a very old building in Bay City, Michigan. It used to be a busy railroad depot for the Pere Marquette Railway. People also know it as The Depot Building. This important building is located at 919 Boutell Place. Because of its history, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Story of Bay City Station
The Pere Marquette Railway started way back in 1863. Their very first train line connected the cities of Flint and Saginaw. Later, they made the line longer, reaching all the way to Ludington. The railway then wanted to expand even more into the Saginaw Valley area.
At the same time, some people in Bay City created their own company. It was called the Bay City and East Saginaw Railroad Company. They planned to build a separate train line. The Pere Marquette Railway saw a good opportunity. In 1867, they bought the Bay City and East Saginaw line. The very first train arrived in Bay City on November 23, 1867.
By 1899, the Pere Marquette Railway had grown much bigger. It had joined with other railway companies. This made it the largest railway in all of Michigan. Over the next few years, they built many new stations. These included places for passengers and for moving goods. The Bay City Depot was one of these new buildings. It opened in 1904. A talented architect named William T. Cooper from Saginaw designed it.
The building was used for both passengers and freight until about 1951. After that, it was left empty for a while. In 1953, the Depot got a new life. It was fixed up for the Greyhound Bus Company. During this renovation, some parts of the building were changed. The tall tower above the roof was removed. Also, the covered entrance, called a porte cochere, was taken away.
The bus company moved out of the building in 1969. The Depot then stayed empty for a long time, until 2003. That year, a group called the Great Lakes Center Foundation bought the building. They made plans to bring it back to its original look. Restoration work began in 2007. The missing tower and porte cochere were rebuilt. New businesses and offices moved into the restored building the next year.
What Does the Station Look Like?
The Depot Building is a rectangular building with two stories. It is made of red bricks with light-colored limestone decorations. The building is about 24 feet wide and 88 feet long.
The station sits on a strong base made of rough, uneven stones. It has a roof that is not very steep and slopes down on all sides. The edges of the roof stick out quite a bit. The windows and doors are shaped like rounded arches. There are also small windows that stick out from the roof, called dormers.
The front of the building used to face the train tracks. It doesn't look the same on both sides. The main entrance has a rounded arch door on the first floor. Above it, on the second floor, are four windows. These windows have two panes of glass, one above the other. There are also other doors and windows on the first floor. One part of the first floor sticks out in a three-sided shape. A strip of limestone separates the first and second floors. On the second floor, there are pairs of the same type of windows.
