View source for Dearborn Station

{{Short description|Former train station in Chicago, Illinois}}
{{About|the former train station in Chicago, Illinois|the transit center in Dearborn, Michigan|John D. Dingell Transit Center}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{stack begin}}

{{Infobox station
| name = Chicago<br/>{{small|Dearborn Station}}
| style = Erie Railroad
| native_name = 
| native_name_lang = 
| symbol_location = 
| symbol = 
| type = 
| image = Dearborn Station from west.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Dearborn Station [[head house]], 2006
| address = 47 West Polk Street<br/>[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| borough = 
| country = 
| coordinates = {{coord|41|52|19.78|N|87|37|45|W|display=inline,title}}
| owned = 
| operator = 
| line = 
| distance = 
| platforms = 
| tracks = 
| train_operators = 
| connections = 
| structure = 
| parking = 
| bicycle = 
| accessible = 
| code = 
| iata = 
| zone = 
| website = 
| opened = May 8, 1885
| electrified = 
| closed = April 30, 1971 (long-distance service) <br/> 1976 ([[SouthWest Service|''Orland Park Cannonball'']])
| passengers = 
| pass_year = 
| pass_rank = 
| services = 
| other_services_header = Former services 
| other_services = {{Adjacent stations
|system1=Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad
|line1=Suburban|right1=47th Street
|system2=Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
|line2=main|left2=Nerska
|system3=Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad
|line3=Main|right3=47th Street|to-right3=Evansville
|line4=Chicago-St. Louis|right4=47th Street|to-right4=St. Louis
|system5=Erie Railroad
|line6=main|right6=47th Street
|system7=Grand Trunk Western Railroad
|line7=main|right7=47th Street
|line8=Suburban Chicago|right8=47th Street
|system9=Monon Railroad|line9=Main|right9=47th Street
|system10=Wabash Railroad
|line10=Main|right10=47th Street|to-right10=Kansas City
|line11=Chicago-Buffalo|right11=47th Street
|system12=Chesapeake and Ohio Railway|line12=C&O Indiana|right12=Englewood|note-mid12=''1910-1925''
}}
| embedded = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Dearborn Station
| nrhp_type = nrhp
| designated_other1_name = Chicago Landmark
| designated_other1_date = March 2, 1982<ref name="chi">{{cite web|url=http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/LandmarksWeb/landmarkDetail.do?lanID=1286 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719142843/http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/LandmarksWeb/landmarkDetail.do?lanID=1286 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 July 2012 |title=Chicago Landmarks - Dearborn Street Station |year=2010 |access-date=22 Feb 2010 }}</ref>
| designated_other1_abbr = CL
| designated_other1_link = Chicago Landmark
| designated_other1_color = #aaccff
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-custom = {{Infobox mapframe |shape=none |line=none |marker=rail |marker-color=#888 |zoom=15 }}
| area =
| built = {{start date and age|1883}}
| architect = [[Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz]]
| architecture = [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]]
| added = {{start date and age|1976|03|26}}
| refnum = 76000688<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2006a}}</ref>
}}
}}

[[File:Dearborn Station approaches.svg|thumb|300px|All lines operating into Dearborn Station, except for the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe]], travelled over the [[Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad|C&WI's]]]]
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'''Dearborn Station''' (also called '''Polk Street Depot''') was, beginning in the late 1800s, one of six [[inter-city rail|intercity]] [[train station]]s serving downtown [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. It remained in operation until May 1, 1971. Built in 1883, it is located at Dearborn and Polk Streets, adjacent to [[Printers Row]] in [[South Loop]]. The station was owned by the [[Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad]], which itself was owned by the companies operating over its line. The station building headhouse now houses office, retail, and entertainment spaces, and its trackage yard, behind the headhouse, was redeveloped into part of the [[Dearborn Park]] neighborhood.

==Description and history==
[[File:Dearborn Station postcard ca. 1907.JPG|thumb|left|300px|Postcard of Dearborn Station (1885) as it appeared {{circa|1907}}. Originally, the headhouse had a steeped pitch roof story, which was eliminated during reconstruction following a fire in the early 1920s. The train sheds over the tracks are pictured to the back.]]

The [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]] structure, designed by [[Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz]], opened in 1885 at a cost of $400 to $500 thousand (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|0.4|1885|r=1}} to ${{Inflation|US|0.5|1885|r=1}} million in {{inflation/year|US}}). The three-story building's exterior walls and twelve-story [[clock tower]] were composed of pink granite and red pressed brick topped by a number of steeply pitched roofs. Modifications to the structure following a fire in 1922 included eliminating the original pitched roof profile. Behind the [[head house]] were the train [[Railway platform|platforms]], shielded by a large [[train shed]].<ref name="holland">{{Holland-Classic|pages=70-71}}</ref> Inside the station were [[Train ticket|ticket]] counters, waiting rooms, and [[Fred Harvey Company]] restaurants.<ref name="foster">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sPz_aiJS1mcC|title=The Harvey House Cookbook: Memories of Dining Along the Santa Fe Railroad|last1=Foster|first1=George H.|last2=Weiglin|first2=Peter C.|publisher=Longstreet Press|location=Atlanta, Georgia|page=150|isbn=1563520338|oclc=27091379|year=1992|access-date=9 Jan 2015}}</ref>

[[Amtrak]] (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) chose to consolidate its Chicago operations at the [[Chicago Union Station|Union Station]]. The final intercity passenger train to depart Dearborn Station was the [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]]'s ''[[International Limited]]'', which departed on April 30, 1971. The arrival of the [[Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway]]'s ''[[San Francisco Chief]]'' and ''[[Grand Canyon Limited|Grand Canyon]]'' from [[California]] on May 2 brought intercity operations at Dearborn to a close. The [[Norfolk & Western Railway]]'s [[Orland Park]] commuter service, the ''[[SouthWest Service|Orland Park Cannonball]]'', continued to use a platform at Dearborn until 1976.<ref name="holland" />

By 1976, Dearborn Station's [[train shed]] was demolished and tracks were removed; the [[head house]] building was retained. The train station stood abandoned into the mid-1980s when it was converted to retail and office space. The former [[rail yard]]s were converted for use as [[Dearborn Park]].

[[File:Dearborn Station, Chicago, IL, USA, tower detail.jpg|thumb|Tower Detail]]

==Services==
[[File:ATSF 16C a F3A with Train -9, The Kansas City Chief at Dearborn Station, Chicago, Illinois on February 5, 1968 (22679383062).jpg|thumb|left|300px|''The Kansas City Chief'' at Dearborn Station on February 5, 1968. The glowing face of the station clock in the clocktower is visible upper-left.]]
Some of the railroads that served the station include the following, with some of the more well-known name trains listed:

* [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] (Santa Fe) – the ''[[Chief (train)|Chief]]'', ''[[Super Chief]]'', ''[[El Capitan (train)|El Capitan]]'', and ''[[Grand Canyon Limited]]'' (to name but a few) to [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]; the ''[[Lone Star (Amtrak train)|Texas Chief]]'' to [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]/[[Houston]], [[Texas]]; the ''[[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Antelope]]'' to [[Oklahoma City]], [[Oklahoma]]; the ''[[Kansas Cityan]]'' (and its eastbound counterpart, the ''[[Chicagoan (ATSF train)|Chicagoan]]'') to [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Missouri]]; and the ''[[San Francisco Chief]]'' to [[San Francisco]], California. Although the Santa Fe by far operated the greatest number of trains from the station, it was only a tenant.
* [[Chesapeake and Ohio Railway]] (moved to the [[Grand Central Station (Chicago)|Grand Central Station]] February 28, 1925).
* [[Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad]] – ''[[Cardinal (passenger train)|Cardinal]]'', ''Zipper'' and ''Silent Knight'' to [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], Missouri; ''[[Dixie Flyer (train)|Dixie Flyer]]'', and ''[[Dixie Flagler]]'' and ''[[Georgian (train)|Georgian]]'' to [[Evansville, Indiana|Evansville]], continuing to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]], then [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and finally [[Miami]], [[Florida]] (The ''Georgian'' ending at Atlanta). From July 31, 1904<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7B2l5G_Veb0C&pg=PA700|title=Official Guide of the Railways|section=Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad|publisher= National Railway Publication Company|location=New York City, New York|page=700|date=Jan 1904|access-date=9 Jan 2015|via=books.google.com}}</ref> to August 1, 1913,<ref>Goss, William Freeman Myrick, ''Smoke Abatement and Electrification of Railway Terminals in Chicago. Report of the Chicago Association of Commerce, Committee of Investigation on Smoke Abatement and Electrification of Railway Terminals'', Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry, 1915, p. 505</ref> Chicago & Eastern Illinois trains used [[LaSalle Street Station]].
* [[Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway]] (Monon) – ''Hoosier'' and ''Tippecanoe'' to [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]], ''[[Thoroughbred (train)|Thoroughbred]]'' to [[Louisville, Kentucky]].
* [[Erie Railroad]] ([[Erie Lackawanna Railway]] from 1960) – ''[[Atlantic Express and Pacific Express]]'', ''[[Erie Limited]]'', ''[[Phoebe Snow (train)|Phoebe Snow]]'' and ''[[Lake Cities (Erie Railroad train)|Lake Cities]]'' to [[Hoboken, New Jersey|Hoboken]], or [[Jersey City]], [[New Jersey]].
* [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]] – ''[[Maple Leaf (GTW train)|Maple Leaf]]'', ''Inter-City Limited'' and ''[[International Limited (passenger train)|International Limited]]'' to [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]] and [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]. ''Mohawk'' to [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]].
* [[Wabash Railroad]] ([[Norfolk and Western Railway]] from 1964) – ''[[Blue Bird (train)|Blue Bird]]'' and ''Banner Blue'' to St. Louis, Missouri.

The following [[commuter rail]] services also operated from the station:
* [[Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad]] (until 1935) – operated from Dearborn Station to [[Crete, Illinois|Crete]], Illinois. [[Metra]] has proposed to revive the route as its [[SouthEast Service]].
* [[Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad]] (until 1964) – operated between Dearborn Station and [[Dolton, Illinois|Dolton]], Illinois serving mostly local stops within Chicago's far south side.
* [[Chicago and Erie Railroad]] – operated from Dearborn Station to [[Rochester, Indiana|Rochester]], Indiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.railfan.net/lists/listthumb.cgi?erielack-02-26-05|title=Suburban Time Table|publisher=[[Chicago and Atlantic Railway|Chicago and Erie Railroad]]|date=16 Sep 1900|access-date=9 Jan 2015}}</ref>
* [[Grand Trunk Western Railroad]] (until 1935) – operated from Dearborn Station to [[Valparaiso, Indiana|Valparaiso]], Indiana (later service was cut-back to [[Harvey, Illinois|Harvey]], Illinois).
* [[Wabash Railroad]] ([[Norfolk and Western Railway]] from 1964) – used a track west of the station until 1976, when moved to the Union Station); now Metra's [[SouthWest Service]].
* [[Santa Fe Railway]] (until 1903) – operated from Dearborn Station to [[Joliet, Illinois]].

==In popular culture==
In [[blues (music)|blues]] musician [[Henry Thomas (blues musician)|Henry Thomas]]' 1927 song "Railroadin' Some", the "Polk Street Depot" is the next to last stop on a journey that begins in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], and ends in [[Chicago]].

Dearborn Station is mentioned multiple times in the 1974 "[[Adam's Ribs]]" episode of ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]'', in which [[Hawkeye Pierce]] craves the barbecued ribs from a fictional restaurant adjacent to the station, but can't recall the name. He calls the [[station master]] from [[South Korea]] to get the restaurant's name and phone number. Hawkeye refers to the terminal as the "Dearborn Street Station".

"Dearborn Station" is a song by the [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Fortune (band)|Fortune]] that was released in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelyricarchive.com/album/465421/Fortune-%5B1985%5D|title=Fortune - Fortune [1985] lyrics|website=thelyricarchive.com|access-date=9 Jan 2015}}</ref>

== Photo Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Dearborn Station west.jpg|The north (frontal) and west side
File:Dearborn Station east.jpg|The east side
File:Dearborn Station rear.jpg|The south (rear) side
File:Dearborn Station inside.jpg|Inside the building
File:1976 Dearborn Station.jpg|The station's [[train shed]] being demolished in May 1976; the "[[head house]]" can be seen at the rear
File:Dearborn Station former tracks.jpg|A city park, Dearborn Park, and townhouses now occupy the former platform and trackage area
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Architecture of Chicago]]
* [[Printer's Row, Chicago]]
* [[Chicago Loop#South Loop|South Loop]]
* [[Chicago Union Station]]
* [[Central Station (Chicago terminal)]]
* [[Great Central Station]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Dearborn Station (Chicago)}}
*[http://harvey.library.arizona.edu/finding_aid/4il/4/welcome.html Dearborn Street Station (Fred Harvey Exhibit)]
*[http://www.dearbornstation.com/home.html Dearborn Station Directory]
*{{HAER |survey=IL-6 |id=il0378 |title=Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad, Dearborn Station Trainshed}}
*[http://www.railsandtrails.com/Maps/Chicago/index.htm#Dearborn Property Valuation Map of Dearborn Station in 1953] (Requires [http://www.railsandtrails.com/DjVu.htm DjVu] plugin)
*[http://www.prrths.com/newprr_files/Hagley/PRR1885.pdf 1885 Railroad Chronology]
{{Chicago Loop}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{Chicago terminals}}
{{Chicago Landmark transportation}}
{{Erie Main Line stations}}

[[Category:Former railway stations in Illinois]]
[[Category:Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Chicago]]
[[Category:Chicago Landmarks]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Chicago]]
[[Category:Former Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway stations|Chicago]]
[[Category:Former Monon Railroad stations|Chicago]]
[[Category:Former Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad stations]]
[[Category:Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad]]
[[Category:Former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway stations|Chicago]]
[[Category:Former Erie Railroad stations|Chicago]]
[[Category:Former Grand Trunk Western Railroad stations|Chicago]]
[[Category:Former Wabash Railroad stations|Chicago]]
[[Category:Clock towers in Illinois]]
[[Category:Romanesque Revival architecture in Illinois]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1885]]
[[Category:1885 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Railway stations in the United States closed in 1976]]