Illinois Central Railroad Freight Depot (Bloomington, Indiana)
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Illinois Central Railroad Freight Depot
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Front and southern end
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| Location | 301 N. Morton St., Bloomington, Indiana |
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| Coordinates | 39°10′7″N 86°32′11″W / 39.16861°N 86.53639°WCoordinates: 39°10′7″N 86°32′11″W / 39.16861°N 86.53639°W |
| Area | Less than 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1906 |
| Architect | Illinois Central Railroad staff architects |
| Architectural style | Functional Industrial |
| NRHP reference # | 83000113 |
| Added to NRHP | June 23, 1983 |
The Illinois Central Railroad Freight Depot is a historic train station in downtown Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it has endured closure and a series of modifications to survive to the present day, and it has been declared a historic site. Used only occasionally for many years, it is one of the most important buildings in a large historic district on the city's west side.
By the 1890s, the Monon Railroad was serving Bloomington and operating maintenance shops on the city's southern side. In 1902, desiring service from a second railroad, Bloomington and Perry Townships offered a large cash bonus to whichever company would add a second rail line in the city. Four years later, Illinois Central Railroad took up the offer, and upon finishing its route into the city, it decided to erect a station dedicated to freight traffic. Designed by the railroad's staff architects, it is a simple building without unneeded elements; its architecture was determined by the features that the railroad needed to operate a train station. From its earliest years, the depot played an important part in the development of Bloomington's heavy industries: many limestone mills and the large Showers Brothers furniture factory were located in its immediate vicinity.
At the time of construction, the depot was a simple rectangle, 163 feet (50 m) long and 35 feet (11 m) wide. It was greatly expanded in 1922 by the addition of a second story to much of the building. The northernmost portion of the building was removed in 1959, because falling freight traffic no longer required such a large building. After closing in 1963, the depot became a bar and grill restaurant; the restaurant later closed, leaving the building vacant, although another restaurant, Macri's at the Depot, opened inside by 2012.
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