Penn Central Railway Station
About this property
Battle Creek station, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Penn Central Railway Station, is a disused train station in Battle Creek, Michigan. It opened on July 27, 1888. Rogers and MacFarlane of Detroit designed the depot, one of several Richardsonian Romanesque-style stations between Detroit and Chicago in the late nineteenth century. Masonry of Lake Superior red sandstone, noted for its distinctive patterns, provides one of the most striking aspects of the Depot's exterior. Another prominent feature of the Depot is its clock tower. Thomas Edison as well as Presidents William Howard Taft and Gerald Ford visited here. The depot was acquired by the New York Central Railroad in 1918, Penn Central in 1968, and Amtrak in 1970. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The station served New York Central trains on the Chicago - Detroit route, such as the Chicago Mercury and the Twilight Limited and trains on the Chicago - Detroit - New York (via southwestern Ontario) itinerary, such as the Wolverine. In 1982, Amtrak moved operations to a newer facility located five blocks to the south on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad line, as part of a line consolidation that saw Conrail's ex-New York Central line through downtown closed and removed. The current Amtrak station services the Detroit to Chicago, and the Port Huron, MI to Chicago routes. The Michigan Central Depot sat empty for seven years. In 1989, restaurateurs Peter Jubeck and Ross Simpson purchased the depot and transformed it into a restaurant named Clara's on the River which opened June 8, 1992. Clara's on the River was a sister restaurant to the now closed Clara's Lansing Station, located in the Union Depot (Lansing, Michigan), which is now a Starbucks. Media related to Michigan Central Railroad Depot (Battle Creek, Michigan) at Wikimedia Commons
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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.
Everything a full report reveals about Penn Central Railway Station
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Questions about this property
When was Penn Central Railway Station listed on the National Register?
Penn Central Railway Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Penn Central Railway Station?
Penn Central Railway Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Penn Central Railway Station?
The period of significance for Penn Central Railway Station is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Penn Central Railway Station?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Penn Central Railway Station will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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An Aubrey US report for an address near Penn Central Railway Station will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.