Great Central Station

Great Central Station
Illustration of the train shed which appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper in 1856, shortly after the station opened.
General information
Status	Demolished
Address	South Water Street and Michigan Avenue
Town or city	Chicago, Illinois
Country	United States
Coordinates	41°53′10″N 87°37′24″W / 41.88611°N 87.62333°W / 41.88611; -87.62333Coordinates: 41°53′10″N 87°37′24″W / 41.88611°N 87.62333°W / 41.88611; -87.62333
Opened	June 21, 1856
Closed	April 17, 1893
Owner	Illinois Central Railroad
Design and construction
Architect	Otto H. Matz

Great Central Station, also known as Great Central Depot, was an intercity train station in Chicago, Illinois owned by the Illinois Central Railroad. It opened in 1856 and for a time was the largest building in downtown Chicago. It was damaged in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 but remained in operation. The station proved inadequate to handle growing traffic and was demolished in 1893 in favor of Central Station. Millennium Station, formerly Randolph Street Terminal, sits on the location.

The station was designed by Otto H. Matz and included both a head house and a train shed. The most distinctive feature of the train shed was the three masonry arches fronting the wooden structure. Architectural historian Carroll Meeks criticized the front of the head house, calling it an "ill-assorted complex of disparate elements."Carl W. Condit cited the design as an example of vernacular architecture.

The train shed incorporated a Howe truss in its design and measured 166 feet (51 m) wide and 36 feet (11 m) high. Only Birmingham New Street railway station had a wider roof. On its completion the station was the largest building in Chicago. In 1871 the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the train shed, which was never rebuilt. A subsequent fire in 1874 damaged the head house.

Great Central Station officially opened on June 21, 1856. It was the Illinois Central's first permanent station in Chicago and cost US$250,000. Originally the Great Central served three railroads: the Illinois Central, which stayed there until the station closed in 1893; the Michigan Central Railroad; and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (the Burlington). The Burlington moved to the new Union Depot (predecessor to today's Union Station) in 1881. Other railroads which used the station prior to 1871 included the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (a predecessor to the Chicago and North Western) and the Chicago and Alton Railroad (a predecessor to the Alton Railroad). The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (the "Big Four") used it from 1886 to 1893.