Union Station (Gary, Indiana) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary Union Station
Gary Union Station
Location	185 Broadway, Gary, Indiana
Coordinates	41°36′20.3″N 87°20′13.07″W / 41.605639°N 87.3369639°W / 41.605639; -87.3369639
Construction
Structure type	Neoclassical
Architect	M. A. Lang
Former services
Preceding station Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Following station Chicago Terminus Main Line Akron–Union toward Jersey City Indiana Harbor toward Chicago Wellsboro toward Jersey City Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Indiana Harbor toward Chicago Main Line Millers toward New York

Gary Union Station is an old train station in Gary, Indiana. It was built in 1910, only four years after the city of Gary was started. This station sits between the raised train tracks of two big railway companies: the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

The building was designed in a special style called Beaux-Arts architecture. It was built using a new method for the time: pouring concrete and then making it look like stone. Today, the building is on a list of the 10 Most Endangered Places in Indiana by Indiana Landmarks. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, which means it's an important historical site.

Where is Gary Union Station?

The station faces west on Broadway. It's a bit hidden because it sits between two elevated train lines. This makes it hard to see until you are right next to it.

Inside and outside the building, there's only one old sign left. It's painted on a front pillar and says, "No Parking Cabs Only." Even after being empty for 50 years, the way it was built has kept it strong.

Inside the Station

A New York Central train, the New York Special, at Gary Union Station in 1963.

The main part of the station has a large hall that is two stories tall. At the east end of this hall, there's a staircase. This staircase leads up to the train loading platform on the upper level.

Because the building was built into a hill, the back of it is only one story high. On the south side, a door opens to a cobblestone driveway. Across this driveway, another staircase goes up to the train tracks. On the north side, there's a tunnel that goes under the tracks. This tunnel leads to a stairway that also goes up to the loading platform.

Famous Passenger Trains

Many important passenger trains used to stop at Gary Union Station. Here are some of them from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad:

• Capitol Limited: This train traveled between Chicago and Washington.
• Columbian: This train went from Chicago to Jersey City. After 1958, it went to Baltimore.
• Shenandoah: This train also traveled from Chicago to Jersey City, and later to Baltimore.
• Washington - Chicago Express: This train connected Chicago and Washington.

What Happened Next?

Today, other train stations are used in the area. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District has two stations nearby: Gary Metro Center and Gary Airport station. Both of these are on the South Shore Line.

Another train station, Amtrak's Hammond–Whiting station, is located to the west in Hammond. The Wolverine train uses this station.