Former CB&Q Passenger Train Depot in Canton IL
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Station, Canton Illinois
The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Station had a dramatic impact on the development of Canton. Before the existence of paved roads and the widespread use of the automobile, buses, and large trucks, the railroad provided the best means of transportation to individuals as well as to those who shipped freight. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Station was the place where many business people began their journeys to larger cities. For those fortunate enough to take vacations, it was the place where those trips began and ended. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Company was one of the nation's largest railroad companies. It operated lines throughout Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Station was built during a period of great expansion when profits were high. Such is evident when one considers the amount of money expended on this beautifully designed facility. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Station, unlike other C.B. & Q. Stations nearby, was a spacious building constructed of brick. Other depots in the area did not compare to this one, as they were much smaller and were constructed of wood.
Canton, Illinois is located in western Illinois between Chicago and St. Louis. It was founded in 1825 by Isaac Swan. Canton was incorporated in 1836 and again in 1848, in accordance to law. In 1853, Canton was chartered as a city by legislative enactment. By 1838, Canton had a population of 780 and there were 200 houses in town. For a period of thirty years, beginning in the 1830s, pork packing was the major industry for the community. However, after the C.B. & Q. Railroad Company completed a line to Canton, hog producers began shipping their hogs directly to Chicago. Eventually, pork packing in Canton ceased. Nonetheless, other industries developed and prospered. Those that prospered include: plow manufacturing, cigar manufacturing, coal mining, paving brick manufacturing, and foundries that manufactured coal mine cars and stoves. As Canton industries increased in size so did its population. In 1880, the population for Canton was 3762. By 1890 it was 5604 and in 1900 it reached 6564. By 1910 it was over 10,000.
The first railroad proposed to go through Canton was the Jackson and Savanna which was incorporated in 1855. Due to financial problems, this line was never completed, and in 1861 the Jackson and Savanna was acquired by the C.B. & Q. Railroad Company. Within a year, the line from Yates City to Lewistown, known as the Lewistown Branch, was completed. This line ran through Canton. The first delivery by train to Canton was for Messrs, Miles & Peck who had just opened the Chicago Store located on the south side of the square. Less than three weeks after the line was completed, it was reported that there had already been a substantial amount of activity on the line and that a train with 21 cars had arrived in Canton the week before and left loaded mostly with cattle.
A second railroad in Canton was constructed by the Toledo, Peoria, & Warsaw (T.P. & W.) Railroad Company and it was completed in July of 1868. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Company attempted to stop the T.P. & W. Railroad Company from crossing its tracks in Canton but was unsuccessful. Shortly after the TP&W line was finished, two trains a day began running through Canton on that line. The T.P. & W. Railroad Company built a railroad station in Canton along East Railroad Street, between South Second Avenue and South Third Avenue. It is no longer in existence and it is unknown when it was demolished.
The C.B. & Q. Railroad Company built Canton's first railroad station and it was located on South Fourth Avenue and Maple Street. By 1906, 44 years after the CB&Q line through Canton had been completed, there developed a need for a better and more conveniently located C.B. & Q. Railroad Station in Canton. By 1911, pressure was being put on both the C.B. & Q. Railroad Company and the T.P. & W. Railroad Company by the State Board of Health to provide better sanitary conditions in the local railroad stations. At the same time, WU. G. Orendorff of the P & O Plow Company was negotiating with CB&Q officials to Produce an acceptable proposal as to where the new railroad station and freight house should be located. Mr. Orendorff had suggested that the new station be located east of the main track between and East Elm and East Walnut Streets. However, the CB&Q officials were not in favor of this location and a compromise was reached whereby the new railroad station was to be located in the middle of the block between East Elm Street and East Chestnut Street, west of the railroad tracks. A private brick street was to be constructed between East Chestnut and East Elm Streets which would provide access to the new railroad station. This Street was built and it is still present. It is the only brick street remaining in Canton today. A separate freight house was to be located west of Maple School, which was located on the north side of East Elm Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue. However, the freight house was not constructed west of Maple School as proposed. Instead, it was built in the area of South Fourth Avenue and Anderson Place between the CB&Q main tracks and the railroad yards at the P & O Plow Company. Mr. Orendorff was directed by the President of the C.B. & Q. Railroad Company to obtain the property needed for the project.
The plans for the new railroad station, freight house, and switch tracks were presented to the Commercial Club in December 1911 and the Club immediately approved of the plan and encouraged the people of Canton to support the proposal. The plan involved the need for the property where Maple School was located. In addition, a franchise was needed from the city to allow the railroad to construct switch track branches on city-owned property along North Fourth Avenue. On August 6th, 1912, the Canton City Council passed ordinance number LII which allowed the CB&Q to operate one additional railroad track in and along North Fourth Avenue, between Howard Place and Walnut Street. On October 21st, 1913, the Canton City Council passed ordinance number LVII which allowed the CB&Q to construct one additional railroad track, as a passing track in and along Fourth Avenue, from the north city limits to Anderson Place. On March 14th, 1914, the CB&Q made the only bid on Maple School in the amount of $8,000. Because of the school's close proximity to the railroad track, passing trains caused disturbances in the classrooms and therefore there was no opposition to the sale of Maple School.
The March 21st, 1914 edition of the Canton Daily Register reported that the sale of Maple School cleared the way for the CB&Q to begin work on the new railroad station. It was stated in the newspaper article that "Canton will at last have a station to be proud of." Furthermore, it was said on the new railroad station that "certainly it will be an improvement over that hideous structure that has given sore eyes to every loyal Canton man and woman for years past." It was stated by the CB&Q that it had appropriated $100,000 for the improvements that were to be made in Canton and that $30,000 to $40,000 would be used specifically for the railroad station."
The general contractor for the new railroad station was the G. B. Swift Company of Chicago. James A. Miller & Brother of Chicago was responsible for the sheet metal and roofing while the plumbing, sewers, drainage, and heating installation was conducted by the Canton Plumbing Company. M. Heckard & Sons of Canton constructed the pavement and platforms. Mason Hardware Company furnished the interior hardware. When the new C.B. & Q. Railroad Station was formally opened on September 20th, 1914, a thousand people gathered there to see the new facility." It was stated in a local newspaper that "There will be few stations between Canton and Minneapolis or St. Louis that will make for a more impressive appearance. A well-known Canton man, E. M. Reynolds, who was in the furniture business was the first individual to step foot from an incoming train onto the new station platform.
When the new C.B. & Q. Railroad Station first opened in 1914, it was a very busy place as railroads provided the primary means of transportation, especially for those who had to travel any distance. There were very few paved roads outside of the larger cities and therefore the railroad had a definite advantage over other forms of transportation. When the United States entered World War I on April 6th, 1917, the railroad experienced a substantial increase in its usage as it played a key role in transporting people and supplies that were involved in the war effort.
Mrs. Edith Quick of rural Ellisville was a ticket agent at the station during WW I. She replaced Ernest Stevens who had entered military service. She tells of the "parade to the depot and the sad goodbyes to the boys who were leaving for training camps. From there, they would be sent to fight and maybe die in a war far across the ocean. All the windows of the coaches were open and the train pulled out with everyone waving. Some on the platform were crying. Words on their lips were, please come back." Mrs. Quick states that "I remember the same trains later, usually carrying a casket in the baggage coach. The body was to be returned to his family in our town (Canton) or a nearby community." It was late in the evening on November 11th, 1918 when the people in Canton learned that the Armistice was signed and that the war was over. Mrs. Quick remembers how everyone gathered at Jones Park on the square and that a large bonfire was built at the south end as the celebrating continued through the night. The people sang "Keep the Home Fires Burning Till the Boys Come Home."
Mrs. Quick recalls the railroad station as a beautiful building and that Mr. Sappington, the baggageman, made sure that it was always well-kept and neat in appearance. The grounds to the north and to the south of the building were like two parks with green grass and lots of flowers. Mike Gorman was the first Station Agent for the new C.B. & Q. Railroad Station. It was his wife and daughter who took such good care of the grounds and consequently, the grounds became known as Gorman's Park. A lunch room operated by Joe Green was located east of the station on the other side of the tracks and according to Mrs. Quick, it was patronized by many people while waiting for a train.
During the time that Mrs. Quick worked at the railroad station, there were three passenger trains a day, the first at 6:30 a.m., the second at 10:33 a.m., and the last at 3:00 p.m." Two passenger trains stopped in Canton at night, the first at midnight and the second at 2:17 a.m. Mrs. Quick worked seven days a week, normally from 6:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. In addition to all of the soldiers riding the trains, she recalls that the entertainers who performed at the Princess Theater located on the east side of the square in Canton, all came to Canton by train. People who traveled by rail and needed a place to spend the night often stayed at the Canton House, located on the corner of First Avenue and Elm Street, as it was the closest hotel to the railroad station. It was also considered one of the most popular and best-patronized hotels in this part of the state. Mrs. Quick also remembers a Mr. Lingenfelter who owned a farm south of Canton who frequently traveled to hog shows and sales in Iowa by way of the C.B. & Q. Railroad.
Mr. Bramley Whitehead of Canton remembers going to the C.B. & Q. Railroad Station when he was ten years old on Sunday, June 8th, 1919 to welcome home his brother, Raymond Whitehead, who was returning from WW I. Raymond Whitehead was one of the forty members of the 108th Engineers Train (Old Company M) who arrived in Canton that day. This group of young men had left Canton in April 1917. After completing their training they were sent to France and fought in practically every army of the Allies except the Belgian. Between 6000 and 7000 people lined up to greet these young men as they arrived at the C.B. & Q. Railroad Station. A local newspaper reported that "With the station and grounds within a block each was literally banked with humanity and hundreds of automobiles lining the approaching streets, a scene was presented which will live as long as memory endures."
Mr. Russell Lundry of Canton remembers as a young boy in the late 1920s that there was a watchtower located near the station and that a man would sit in this tower, which rotated, and operate the crossing gates at each intersection as the trains would come into town and as they departed from town. According to a 1926 Sanborn Fire Insurance map, the watchman's tower was located on the southwest corner of Howard Place. Lundry recollects that a man by the name of Raymond Lee, who ran a produce stand on Fifth Avenue, had a contract with the Post Office. Mr. Lee was responsible for delivering the mail brought in on the CB&Q line to the Post Office. Likewise, he transported mail from the Post Office to the railroad station where it was put on the train. American Express shipments and deliveries were conducted at the station as well. Mr. Lundry recalls that the freight house was located south of the railroad station, next to the P & O/International Harvester Company and that there was a lot of activity there when the railroad cars were moved around the switching yard as they were brought up to the loading docks.
During WW II the railroad once again experienced an increase in usage as it was greatly utilized in transporting people and supplies involved in the war effort. Young men from this area who were ordered to report for induction into the military were instructed to be at the C.B. & Q. Railroad Station at a certain time and date. It was there that they said goodbyes to family and friends as they departed on the CB&Q for an induction station in Chicago. Mr. Harold Higgins, a former employee of the CB&Q, remembers how there was a lot of activity on the CB&Q line in Fulton County that served Camp Ellis which was located southwest of Canton between Table Grove and Ipava. Camp Ellis was an army training facility in addition to being a Prisoner of War Camp. Mr. Higgins remembers not only the hundreds of military personnel who rode the CB&Q but also the German prisoners who were transported on the train.
After WW II changes began to be made in the manner in which freight was shipped on the CB&Q line. To compete with large trucking companies the C.B. & Q. Railroad Company formed its own trucking company to provide a more efficient transportation system utilizing both rail service and its own large trucks. Less-than-carload shipments were redirected to the C.B. & Q. Railroad Station as the freight house was torn down.
Passenger service was no doubt important to the railroad companies. However, most of their profits resulted from freight transport. The C.B. & Q. Railroad served several businesses and industries in this area. The two major industries served were farm equipment manufacturing and coal mining. The Parlin and Orendorff (P & O) Plow Company which was sold to the International Harvester Company (IHC) in 1919 manufactured all types of farm equipment including plows, harrows, planters, cultivators, potato diggers, beet implements, stalk cutters, and hand and barrel carts. It should be noted that the P & O Plow Company was the largest plow manufacturing plant in the world when it was sold. The equipment manufactured at this plant was sold all across the United States and in some foreign countries as well. By 1891, the P & O Plow Company had branches in Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis, Dallas, Decatur, and Minneapolis. It was a very large operation and it became even larger after it was sold to IHC. During WW II, IHC manufactured shell clips for shell containers. Before the utilization of large trucks, virtually all of the farm equipment manufactured at P & O/IHC was shipped by rail. Some shipments were made through the C.B. & Q. Railroad Station.
In the 1920s the demand for passenger service on the CB&Q lines, and other lines as well, began to decline. As networks of paved roads were developed, more people began traveling by automobile and the opportunities for bus service greatly increased. Canton's first bus service was established in 1926 by the Eagle Motor Company and it operated between Peoria and Canton. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Company even started its own bus service to offset some of its losses in passenger service. It also designed better trains that could run faster and therefore cut down on the amount of time it took to travel from destination to destination.
Nevertheless, it seemed to be a losing battle. As highways were improved and large trucks became more prevalent, the demand for freight service from the railroads including the C.B. & Q. declined. It was not as rapid as the decline in the demand for passenger service. Canton residents and those from the surrounding communities continued to utilize the passenger trains in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. In 1950, the two night trains which provided passenger service were eliminated and in 1961 the two remaining passenger trains were removed from the line as well. After the passenger trains were removed from the C.B. & Q. line, the CB&Q Railroad Station was used as a freight house up until the time when freight service was also eliminated in approximately 1980. At that time, the C.B. & Q. Railroad Station was abandoned. In 1970, the C.B. & Q. Railroad Company was merged with three other railroad companies and became part of the nation's biggest railroad network. The merged company is known as the Burlington Northern Railroad Company. Today, the Burlington Northern occasionally uses the railroad tracks located east of the station.
The 1980s were very difficult years for Canton as the International Harvester Company closed the Canton Plant. Most all of the mines in the area were also shut down as the coal in this area has a high sulfur content. These two major industries had prospered in the Canton area in part because of the railroad and consequently, the city prospered as well. The people who are old enough to remember the days when the C.B. & Q. Railroad was very busy, remember a time when Canton was not only a great place to live but a great place to work. The railroad certainly contributed greatly to the success that was enjoyed for that period of time in Canton's history. The C.B. & Q. Railroad Station serves as a reminder to the people of Canton that this city once enjoyed the benefits of good transportation systems and prospering industries.
Many of the railroad stations in this area including the T.P. & W. Railroad Station and those which were located in Norris, St. David, Ipava, and Vermont are no longer in existence. The yates City C.B. & Q. Railroad Station which is wooden, was relocated to a park. The wood Lewistown C.B. & Q. Railroad Station is still intact and standing in its original location. The brick Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad Station in Lewistown, which was built in the 1860s, is currently used as a home.
In 1989, the city of Canton purchased the former C.B. & Q. Railroad Station from the Burlington Northern Railroad Company for one dollar. It is the city's desire to see this building preserved and protected from alterations and the threat of destruction as it is such a wonderful part of Canton's rich history. Hopefully, the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Station will once again sparkle like it did in 1914 and Canton will again have a railroad station of which its citizens can be proud of.
Building Description
The Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad Station is located adjacent to the former C.B. & Q. Railroad tracks in Canton, Illinois. The building was constructed in 1914 from plans prepared by the Galesburg Division of the C.B. & Q. Railroad. In 1918, the plans were also used to construct a similar station in Kewanee. The Kewanee Station was razed in 1985.
The building is located only four blocks from downtown Canton and sits between two prominent east/west streets in the city. The site includes a brick street on the west, the building, and extends to the railroad tracks on the east side of the site. North of the site is a former residential area. West of the site is First Baptist Church. Immediately south of the site across Elm Street is the 35-acre International Harvester Plow Works. This factory was the heart of Canton in the past 70 years and employed nearly 2,400 workers at its prime.
The building sits in the center of the site, nearly at the center of the north/south dimension with access from either Chestnut Street on the north or Elm Street on the south. A 30' wide brick paved street is immediately west of the building. This private street was constructed in 1914 between Chestnut and Elm streets for the use of the Railroad Station.
A prominent brick sidewalk runs the entire length of the site on the west side of the building and connects the building to Chestnut and Elm streets. The original brick paving for the adjacent street, sidewalk entrances, and train boarding platform remains in good condition at the site. The brick boarding platform on the east side of the building was lighted by two C.B. & Q. 4-lamp fixtures mounted on iron posts. These have been removed.
From either direction, a person walking to the building would pass a grassy park-like area that was decorated with a flower mound. The flower mound was believed to consist of the excavated material from the building's construction. The original flower mounds were removed from the site at an unknown time. The site also included a tall metal tower at the north side of the site. The tower was used to signal incoming trains. It was demolished in the 1930s.
The station's above-grade exterior walls are constructed from brick. The foundation is concrete. The exterior walls are load-bearing and support the roof. A limestone water table provides a prominent base around the entire perimeter of the building. A limestone band also surrounds the building at the sill of the building's windows. The exterior brickwork is well built. Above the limestone band the unusual brickwork pattern consists of five rows of brick with the sixth row indented. These courses wrap at the corners like quoins and create a rusticated effect.
The building plan is a narrow rectangle that sits north/south on the site, parallel to the railroad. It is a one-story building with a crawl space for the north 3/4 of the building and a full basement under the south 1/4 of the building. The crawl space has a dirt floor and allowed access to the heating system components.
On the north end is a large waiting room for women. Near the center of the building is the entrance core, consisting of the entry, vestibule, restrooms, and ticket office. South of the entrance core is the men's waiting room. The south end of the building consists of the baggage room, baggage office, on-hand room, and access to the basement below.
The roof is hipped with its ridge parallel to the main length of the building. It is framed from 2" x 8" and 3" x 10" wood members. The building's original roof was clay tile. It was replaced in the 1960s with an asphalt shingle roof. This type of roof emphasized the horizontal through its massive appearance and wide overhangs.
At the center of the building is a lower roof that has a ridge perpendicular to the main roof. This perpendicular roof is used to further highlight the building entrance on one side of the building and the ticket office on the other side. The building has a single chimney located in the southern 1/3 of the building. The chimney is a simple structure with a concrete cap. The copper gutters are lined with a second gutter to provide a slope for water drainage. The gutters are original and in excellent condition. The patina of the gutter would have made a striking contrast with the orange-tan clay tile roof and blends well with the dark brown brick used on the exterior walls.
The building appears to have only three vertical divisions. On the primary elevation, the west elevation, the centrally located entrance protrudes westward from the adjacent building walls to clearly designate the entrance. The entrance has two wood and glass doors which are flanked by the brick masonry and a large transom above. The entrance is highlighted by two large Dearborn lights that proudly announced the building entrance at night. The fixtures are still installed at the site. Other exterior lights were placed on the bottom of the soffit at each building corner to accentuate the building's long proportions and provide a lighted area to wait outside of the station. Soffit mounted lights were also used near the exit to the loading platform to assist walking and to highlight that area of the building.
All of the windows are one-over-one, double-hung wood windows except where noted. There is a window in each wall adjacent to the entrance doors. These provided light and ventilation for the men's and women's restrooms. These windows match the other windows but they are narrower.
Northward from the entrance, the exterior brick wall is penetrated by four windows. These large units provided a clear vista from the waiting areas to the outside. The windows were constructed from oak and featured 40" x 42" areas of glass in the upper and lower portions. All of the windows were finished with oak interior trim and window sills. A wide roof overhang protects the windows and provides a small amount of shade.
The north wall of the building has a window on either side of the doorway. Originally there was a 3' wide door. It was altered in the 1950s when a large garage-type baggage door was installed. The windows remain as originally constructed.
The east side of the building has three windows and an access door leading to the train boarding area from the women's waiting room. The center section of the building protrudes eastward toward the railroad tracks. This part of the building was used for ticket purchases, train operations, and conductor's tasks. The small north and south-facing walls have 2' wide windows used to view incoming trains. The east-facing portion of the wall features a large expanse of glass. This bay window has a large window centered between two one-over-one windows. This bay was used by the station agents to view the loading area. South of the ticket area is the east elevation of the men's waiting room. There is a door leading to the train boarding area and two windows. South of the men's waiting area is the baggage room which has a large door that allowed wagons to carry baggage from the building to the train. This part of the east elevation has two smaller windows that are set high into the wall.
The south elevation of the building has two small windows.
On the west elevation, the baggage area has a wagon door that leads from the street to the building. There are two small windows in this area flanking the doorway. North of the baggage room are three large windows that illuminate the men's waiting room.
Having circled the building, the main entrance has two steps leading to an interior vestibule. The doors are constructed of oak and have oak frames. The entrance vestibule was lighted by one C.B. & Q. #100 lamp. The lamp is still installed and is a simple glass shield above a bare incandescent bulb.
A person walking through the entry vestibule could go straight ahead to the ticket office, turn left to the women's waiting room, or turn right to enter the men's waiting room.
Approaching the ticket office window, a passenger would see the countertop and a window grille constructed from 1/4" x 3/4" brass bars. The upper portion of the grille has a small amount of rectangular decoration while the lower portion of the grille has only vertical bars. The grille sits 3" above the countertop. Immediately in back of the grille is a glass window that slides vertically upward into the upper wall cavity. The windows and grille are present and in good condition. The glass still bears the painted word "Tickets." The counter under the window had general-purpose drawers, a money drawer, and open shelving.
The ticket counter is the most elaborately detailed part of the building. The ticket counter has a writing surface on the purchaser's side and also on the ticket agent side. The writing area in the countertop was made from glued-in-place quarter-sawn oak. The remainder of the countertop was made from plain sawn oak. The office area featured solidly built cabinets and casework constructed from oak. They included counters, drawers, and cash drawers for the conductor's counter and the operator's table. The conductor's counter featured a simple drawer and counter arrangement under an operable vertically sliding window. The operator's table featured three work areas, drawers, and an "extra strong typewriter shelf" mounted on maple guide rails.
The floor in the ticket office is wood fastened to wood sleepers that are embedded in concrete. The wood floor is in good condition. The lighting in the office room had five light fixtures to provide illumination for writing at windows and desks.
Left, or north from the entrance vestibule is the women's waiting area. To the south is the men's waiting area. Both rooms are finished in the same manner. The interior walls are constructed from brick and hollow clay tile. The interior wall finish has a glazed brick wainscoting capped by solid oak trim. The wall surface above the oak trim is plaster. The interior plasterwork features pilasters and pilaster caps at the entrance to each waiting room. The interior cornice around the perimeter of the waiting rooms is supported on 1" x 3" boards placed at 16" on center, which form a 45-degree angle with the walls and adjacent ceiling. The plaster was formed in a radius on the supporting boards and includes decorative plaster moldings at the ceiling and wall connections. This plaster remains in excellent condition.
The plaster finish was originally painted a light tan. Additional coats of paint show shades of brown and green. The 13' 6" high ceilings are made of plaster and create a sense of spaciousness.
The flooring in the waiting rooms is decorative tile. The hexagonal tiles are 1" thick and rest on a concrete grout. No grout was placed between the adjacent members allowing a very tight seal. The tile base is 10" high with a cove radius corner for easy cleaning. The floor has a red field in the center surrounded by a white and green border stripe around all of the center area.
The waiting rooms were lighted with four C.B. & Q. #150 fixtures with 60-watt bulbs. The restrooms used 25-watt bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Some of the original wiring remains in the building.
The waiting areas were furnished with oak bench seats. One of the bench seats remains and is in good condition.
The building's oak woodwork has yellowed but is not cracked and is firmly attached to the walls. The window condition is also good and the windows will be operable upon removal of the temporary plywood.
Adjacent to the women's and men's waiting rooms are restrooms. Each restroom had a water closet enclosed by an oak toilet partition. One toilet partition remains in the building and is in good condition.
Access to the baggage room is through a door from the men's waiting room. The baggage room is utilitarian and has wood partitions that define the office and storage space. Access to building crawl spaces and the basement is via a stairway in the baggage room.
The basement has two rooms. One room was used for coal storage and the other room was used for the coal-fired boiler. The building's heating system was a Capitol Boiler providing hot water to radiators located throughout. In several locations, the original radiators are still in place. The original boiler is still in place and has been converted from its original coal-fired heat to natural gas.
At some unknown time, the building was altered through the conversion of the women's waiting room into a larger baggage room. The temporary wood stud walls have been recently removed with little damage to the structure or finishes. At the same time, an additional office and storage area was added to the men's waiting room. These wood frame walls have also been removed with little damage to the original building. Other than interior repainting, these are the only known alterations to the building.
The overall building condition is good. There is little deterioration from the weather. The most significant deterioration is peeling paint on the interior walls and the exterior soffit. Glass in some windows in the building has been broken over the years and plywood has been installed to prevent further damage. The drains that serve the basement have become clogged and water stands in the basement to 6" deep. The city has periodically pumped the water from the basement. The water has not caused any structural damage but has stained the lower part of the walls.