National Register of Historic Places

Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot

Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan
Listed
July 2, 1980
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
80004605

About this property

Lansing station was a historic Canadian National Railway station in Lansing, Michigan. The station was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1978, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The first rail line through Lansing was established in 1856 when the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad constructed a line through the city. This was followed in 1872 by the Michigan Central Railroad and in 1879 by the Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway. By the early 1900s there were six separate rail lines through the city. After the Chicago and Grand Trunk Railway reorganized in 1900, they built a series of new depots along their line. When REO Motor Car Company announced the construction of a new plant along the Grand Trunk line, the railroad decided to construct their new depot near the new REO plant. Grand Trunk commissioned the firm of Spier & Rohns tp design the new depot. Construction on the new depot began in 1902 and was completed late that year. It served as a main depot for all passengers until 1971, when the railroad closed the station. In 1972, it was renovated as a restaurant. The building's exterior remains unchanged. Gerald R. Ford, who was from Michigan and the 38th president of the United States, dined here during a campaign tour on May 15, 1976. The building was abandoned in the early 2000s. In 2010, the Lansing Board of Water & Light began construction of a powerplant adjacent to the depot, and included a full restoration of the station in the project. The Lansing Grand Trunk Western station is a single story, rectangular Jacobethan style red-brick building on a gray ashlar foundation. It measures 33 feet wide and 107 feet long. The main entrance is housed in a two-story, ten-foot square brick tower which is topped by a crenelated parapet. The roof is covered with red Ludowici tile, and has overhanging eaves. The window hoods, sills, facings, and gable copings are of Bedford limestone. At one end of the building is a waiting platform, covered with a gable roof supported by wooden posts.

Location

1203 S. Washington Ave.
Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan
42.71945, -84.55135

Categories

INDUSTRYTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Moores, J.H., Memorial Natatorium
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0.3 mi
French, Walter H., Junior High School
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0.6 mi
Arbaugh's Department Store Building
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0.7 mi
Glaister, Richard and Deborah (Brough), House
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0.8 mi
Knapp, J.W., Company Building
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0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot listed on the National Register?

Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1980.

What type of historic resource is Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot?

Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot?

The period of significance for Grand Trunk Western Rail Station/Lansing Depot is recorded as the industrial era.

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