Dwight station (Chicago and Alton Railroad)

The Dwight Chicago and Alton depot is a former railroad depot in Dwight, Illinois, United States. The historic depot, in used by passengers from 1891 until 1971. It was again used from 1986 until 2016, by Amtrak, for service between Chicago and St. Louis. Passenger service moved from the former depot south to a new station in October 2016.

Dwight Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot
The station in 2007 while in use by Amtrak.
LocationDwight, Illinois, Livingston County, Illinois
Coordinates41°05′35″N 88°25′41″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1891 (1891)
ArchitectHenry Ives Cobb
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.82000398[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 27, 1982

History

Built by the Chicago and Alton Railroad in 1891, the structure, designed by Henry Ives Cobb in the Richardson Romanesque style of rusticated masonry, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since December 27, 1982.[1] The foundation is of Joliet stone and the walls above are of Bedford blue stone from Indiana composed almost entirely of fossil shells.[2]

Passenger service ceased upon the formation of Amtrak in 1971. Service returned in 1986.[3] The Village Board Finance Committee offered Amtrak to reuse the depot "until a permanent passenger area can be found."[4]

In 1999, the village of Dwight offered the use of the depot to the Dwight Historical Society. The society moved its museum into the north end of the building; the south end holds both a meeting room for the society and the present office of the Dwight Chamber of Commerce. From 1999 until 2016, a transitional period, the historic depot served as both museum and working depot.[2]

In August 2015, construction began on a new 800-square-foot (74 m2) station building dedicated to Amtrak passengers.[5][6] The new high-speed rail station, built at South Columbia Street a block southwest of the historic depot, opened on October 29, 2016, and the Chicago and Alton depot became a museum and community center.[7]

Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Pontiac
toward St. Louis
 Lincoln Service Joliet
toward Chicago
Preceding station Alton Railroad Following station
Odell
toward St. Louis
 Main Line Mazonia
toward Chicago
Nevada
toward Peoria
 Dwight – Peoria
Closed prior to GM&O Merger
 Terminus

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. Great American Stations. Accessed March 21, 2013.
  3. Schafer, Carol (October 28, 1986). "Passenger trains return to Dwight". The Pantagraph. p. D1. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com.
  4. Schafer, Carol (October 16, 1986). "Dwight offers Amtrak Village Hall as station". The Pantagraph. p. A2. Retrieved August 14, 2018 – via https://www.newspapers.com.
  5. "Illinois town to break ground on new Amtrak station". Trains Magazine. August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  6. Smucker, Luke (August 12, 2015). "Ground broken for new train depot in Dwight". Pontiac Daily Leader. Retrieved January 11, 2016. In about a year, Dwight residents and visitors will be making use of a new $3.77 million high-speed rail depot.
  7. "High-speed rail station opens in Dwight". Daily Journal. October 29, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
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