Downtown in Springfield in Sangamon County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The History of Union Station

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, June 16, 2011

1. The History of Union Station Marker

Inscription. Union Station opened in 1898 as the passenger terminal for the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad. Francis T. Bacon, an IC architect, designed the station, adorning the brick structure with decorative terra cotta and topping it with a 110-foot-tall clock tower. The present tower is a reconstruction of the original, which was removed in 1946.

Vacated by the railroad in 1971, Union Station was rehabilitated by the Scully Family in 1985 for retail use. The State of Illinois leased the former train station for offices beginning in 1990, eventually purchasing the building in 1999.

A rehabilitation designed by White & Borgognoni Architects that began in 205 returned the station to its turn-of-the-century appearance. Union Station is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.

Location. 39° 48.213′ N, 89° 38.912′ W. Marker is in Springfield, Illinois, in Sangamon County. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from N. 5th Street. Marker is in front of the station between

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5th & 6th Streets in the park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Springfield IL 62701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Illinois.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Acts of Intolerance (within shouting distance of this marker); Stuart and Lincoln Law Office (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Wedding of the Rose and the Lotus (about 600 feet away); Surveyor Presidents (about 600 feet away); Seventh and Jefferson Streets (about 600 feet away); Streetscape 1859 (about 700 feet away); Lincoln's Last Law Office (approx. 0.2 miles away); Joshua Speed's Store (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Springfield.

National Register of Historic Places Plaque image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, June 16, 2011

2. National Register of Historic Places Plaque

Union Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, June 16, 2011

3. Union Station

Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 743 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2011, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.