The Gary Union Station

The Gary Union Station. . , Built in 1910, just four years after the city was founded, the station is located between the elevated lines of the Norfolk Southern and CSX Railroads. The station transported the thousands of workers who came from around the country to work in the steel mills of NW Indiana. Coal, iron ore, and US mail arrived daily. Architect M.A. Lang designed and built the two level station between the elevated tracks of what was then the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) rail line and the South Shore and Michigan Southern line (New York Central Railroad). He used beaux arts style to create a simple, yet elegant station befitting the city growing around it., Steel reinforced concrete made up most of the construction of the two buildings. The main building is 6,960 sq.ft. and the freight building is 4,000 sq.ft. The main room is a two-storied hall. At the east end of the hall is a staircase to the loading platform on the upper level. Built into a hill, the building is only a single story in the back. A cobblestone driveway led to the south door of the station. Across from the door was a staircase leading to track level. On the north, there is a tunnel under the tracks leading to a stairway to the loading platform. The North side of the express freight terminal has a series of loading dock doors. A red brick road went up the south side of the building and curved around to cover the area around the express terminal., The significant features that the location held were the cobblestone brick area in the front of the building, a flat roof, rusticated and raised first story, grand entrances with multiple staircases, arched windows, and symmetry. The sculpted concrete gives the building a grand feel and resembles limestone. The use of steel reinforced concrete was revolutionary in 1910. Today nearly every public building uses this technique. This method of construction has allowed Union Station to retain its integrity decades after being closed in the early 1970's., The 2017 Union Station Revive beautification project was made possible by over 2000 volunteer hours and funding from generous donors. Thank you! , - Knight Foundation , - Legacy Foundation, Lake County's Community Foundation , - Decay Devils , - City of the Century, Gary, Indiana , - United States Steel