Decatur station (Illinois)

The Decatur station, also known as the Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency, is a historic railway station located at 780 East Cerro Gordo Street in Decatur, Illinois. Built in 1901, the station served trains on the Wabash Railroad, the most economically significant railroad through Decatur. Architect Theodore Link designed the Classical Revival building. Service to the station ended in the 1980s, and it has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Decatur, IL
Former Wabash Railroad and Amtrak passenger rail station
Decatur station in August 2006.
General information
Location780 East Cerro Gordo Street, Decatur, Illinois 62523
History
OpenedJuly 1, 1981 (Amtrak)[1]
ClosedMay 1, 1971 (Norfolk and Western)[2]
July 10, 1983 (Amtrak)[3]
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Terminus Illini Champaign–Urbana
toward Chicago
Preceding station Wabash Railroad Following station
Wyckles
via Hannibal
toward Kansas City
 Main Line East Decatur
toward Chicago
Knights
via St. Louis
toward Kansas City
Knights
toward St. Louis
 St. Louis – Detroit East Decatur
toward Detroit
Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency
Decatur station (Illinois) is located in Illinois
Decatur station (Illinois)
Decatur station (Illinois) is located in the United States
Decatur station (Illinois)
Location780 E. Cerro Gordo St., Decatur, Illinois
Coordinates39°50′50″N 88°56′47″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1901 (1901)
Built byMenke, Edward H.
ArchitectLink, Theodore
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.94000029[4]
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 1994

History

The railroad first reached Decatur in 1854, when the Great Western Railroad built a line through the city. Decatur built Union Station, its first railway station, in 1856 to serve this line. By 1901, the Great Western Railroad had consolidated into the Wabash Railroad, and the old Union Station had fallen into disrepair. The railroad built the present station that year at a cost of $70,000; railroad superintendent H. L. Magee considered the new building one of the most impressive on the line. The Wabash Railroad was the only east-west railroad through Decatur, and its passenger and freight services in the city were both busy. 72 daily passenger trains brought travelers to and from the city at the line's peak in 1907, and $350,000 to $400,000 worth of freight was shipped through the station yearly. The railroad was also Decatur's largest employer; as Decatur was a major hub, it kept division offices and a large dispatcher force there as well as employing railroad operators from the city. Passenger service from the station began to decline in the 1920s, though the railroad (which later merged into the Norfolk & Western) continued service to Decatur until the formation of Amtrak in 1971.[5] Amtrak attempted to restart service with the Illini in 1981, but the service only lasted until 1983 and the station closed for good.[6] The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 4, 1994; it is the only remaining historic railroad station in Decatur.[7]

Noteworthy trains

Wabash Railroad trains serving Decatur Station:[8]

In 1964 the Norfolk and Western acquired the Wabash RR. The Wabash Cannon Ball lasted until the end of N&W passenger train service at the station in 1971. The Blue Bird was truncated in 1968 to the City of Decatur (Decatur - Chicago); this train lasted to 1971 as well.

Architecture

St. Louis architect Theodore Link designed the station in the Classical Revival style. The station consists of two unconnected parts, built in a similar style from the same materials; the station building itself and the Railway Express Agency building. Both buildings are two stories tall and were built from yellow brick and limestone with terra cotta and sandstone trim. The station's main and east entrances are topped by a pediment with ornamental modillions and flanked by Ionic pilasters. The station's first-floor windows have arched sandstone frames and sills, and two terra cotta belt courses circle the building above and below the second floor The corners of the building have limestone quoins.[7]

References
  1. Sampson, Bob (July 2, 1981). "Passenger Train Returns to Decatur". Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois. p. 1. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Krejcu, Emil (July 15, 1981). "Amtrak Begins Decatur Service". Cicero Life. p. 9. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Taylor, Ron. "Amtrak Ends Run". The Herald and Review. Decatur, Illinois. p. 3. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. O'Connell, Mary Ann (May 1, 1971). "Attempt to Keep 'City' Run Fails". The Decatur Review. p. 16. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Cahalan, Steve (July 8, 1983). "Amtrak service to end Sunday". Herald & Review. p. 1. Retrieved August 8, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. Aukamp, Kim (October 2, 1993). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  8. "Wabash Railroad, Tables 1, 3, 8, 9". Official Guide of the Railways. National Railway Publication Company. 95 (3). August 1962.
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