Former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Train Station IL

Rock Island Lines Passenger Station, Rock Island Illinois

Date added: August 28, 2024

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The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company Passenger Station represents remnants of the first terminal built west of Chicago, which made Rock Island the focal point for the movement of people, commodities and raw materials. The Depot is the oldest of the remaining Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Stations in the Quad-Cities. This facility served as the Regional Operations Headquarters while the Moline and Davenport stations were merely stopping points.

In June 1845, local civic leaders met in the home of Colonel George Davenport to discuss the feasibility of rail service to Rock Island. Although Davenport was assassinated only four weeks later, other members of the group lobbied with the Illinois legislature to establish a railroad. On February 22^nd, 1847, the Rock Island-LaSalle Railway Company was incorporated, with Judge James Grant, later a member of the Iowa legislature, elected as the first president. Henry Farnam, an industrious builder, was contracted to survey the route and construct the rail lines. Following his survey, he convinced the local people that, based on the topography, a link between Rock Island and Chicago would be more beneficial than the original Rock Island to LaSalle route. The Charter was amended on February 7^th, 1851, by the legislature. Construction of the 18l-mile Chicago-Rock Island Line began in October 1852 and was completed in July 1854.

Rock Island's population grew from a village of 700 people in 1844 to a city of 5,337 by 1854, the year the line was completed. The first Depot in Rock Island was a simple wayside station built in 1854, located at what is now 2^nd Avenue and 20^th Street. By 1857 the population almost doubled to 10,140 people. Rock Island had become a boomtown due to its development as an industrial center. Many laborers were hired by the Chicago-Rock Island Railway Company, while others took advantage of the business opportunities by providing services to the growing market. Rock Island made use of extensive publicity to attract settlers. This strategy worked, and provided a model for other railroads.

Rock Island's importance as a rail center was enhanced further after the Chicago, Minneapolis & St. Paul, and the Chicago, Quincy & Burlington Railway Companies extended their lines to Rock Island.

One of the most significant events to occur during this early period was the completion of the first bridge over the Mississippi River in 1856. This took place during Henry Farnam's presidency of the Chicago-Rock Island Railroad Company (December 1854 to June 1863). Farnam had been the third president following Judge Grant and John P. Jervis. This project had a tremendous impact on the nation by providing reliable, safe transit to the newly opened territories, as well as being a channel for commodities and supplies.

When the bridge was rammed by the Effie Afton, a steamboat of the New Orleans Packet Company, Abe Lincoln, then a trial lawyer, defended the Chicago-Rock Island Line. He proved that the bridge was not a navigational hazard, as claimed by the boatmen. This court victory thrust the railroad to the forefront of the transportation industry, and prompted the Chicago-Rock Island to add Pacific to the company's name indicating their westward ambitions.

In 1875, the Rock Island Railroad Station was relocated to 2^nd Avenue and 28^th Street to be at the perimeter of the growing business district. The station's location was moved again in 1878 to its present site at 5^th Avenue and 31^st Street. This was a more accessible location for passenger traffic, and a site suitable for developing a complex railyard which eventually included the Passenger Station, Laundry Building Commissary, Baggage and Express Building, and Roundhouse. The Roundhouse, which at one time was the largest in the world, was used as a locomotive storage and switching area. The station was built in 1901 and replaced the previous station. As stated previously, this building served as Regional Headquarters for the system. Trains carrying freight, passengers and mail would depart daily from Rock Island. The famed Rocket Line would make the three-hour run to Chicago taking passengers to and from this growing metropolis. During this hectic period, the railroad employed switchmen, conductors, engineers, clerks, signalmen, yardmasters, laundresses, and telegraphers. The local economy benefited significantly, both directly and indirectly, from the railroad's activities.

The Rock Island Lines celebrated its Centennial in 1952. Because of its significance to the railroad system, the Depot was chosen as the focal point for the festivities. Among the day's activities were the placing of a monument, the production of a movie - "The Rock Island Trail" - and the attendance of celebrities including John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and Dale Evans.

In the 1950s and 60s, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company was in financial distress as were many other railroad companies. In the 1960s, the postal service decided to use other, less expensive means of transportation, such as trucks or airplanes to move the mail. On September 14^th, 1968, the Davenport and Moline stations were closed, leaving only the Rock Island Depot. Plagued by employee strikes and near bankruptcy, the railroad received federal subsidies for a time but it still could not operate economically. The railroad was ordered to liquidate its assets in October 1979. The last passenger train left the Depot on May 31^st, 1978, while all passenger service was discontinued on January 1^st, 1979. The station was permanently closed, and the buildings were boarded up on April 1^st, 1980.

Building Description

Located on 5^th Avenue at the foot of 31^st Street, the Rock Island Lines Passenger Station stands as one of four buildings in the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad station grounds, To the west of the Passenger Station are the Laundry Building and the Commissary Building. To the east is the Baggage and Express Building. All buildings are constructed of brick.

Both the Laundry and Commissary Buildings are scheduled for demolition allowing the construction of the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District/City of Davenport Department of Municipal Transportation Garage and Maintenance Facility.

The Baggage and Express Building, or Headquarters, located to the east of the Depot, served solely a functional role as office space.

The property is presently controlled by William Gibbons, trustee for the bankrupt Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company.

Designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Frost & Granger, the Passenger Station was built in 1901 by Rock Island contractor John Volk, at a cost of $75,000. The Depot does not cleanly fit into any one architectural style. Rather, the building exhibits the blending of a number of styles and can be considered a form of Renaissance Revival, or Neo-Renaissance Revival.

The one-story Passenger Station is one-hundred thirty-five feet long by forty feet wide. It is seven bays wide and has a rusticated granite base, ten arched windows, arched entrances, and unique brickwork with decorative brackets and dentils. There is a single chimney on the hipped roof. On the east and west sides of the station are vestibules through which the public gained entrance, although the west vestibule is no longer accessible. The driveway curves in front of the east vestibule for direct access to the waiting room. The spacious waiting room, with a marble floor, is over sixty feet long and thirty feet wide. The vaulted roof is nearly thirty feet high and decorative plaster molding lines the perimeter of the walls about six feet beneath the ceiling.

At present, deteriorating suspended acoustical tiles block the ceiling from view. The square ticket counter, which replaced the four grilled ticket booths, is located on the north wall between the two doors that exit to the platform, Behind the counter is a small office with a projecting bay window. The fireplace is centered on the west wall of the waiting room. While the fireplace had been covered during the. 1952 remodeling, the plywood paneling has since been ripped away. The fireplace was supplemented by a large boiler, located in the Laundry Building, which supplied heat to each of the four buildings. At the northwest corner of the waiting room is the locker room which was used by the switchmen. On the northeast side are the men's and women's restrooms. Originally, the station had a fourteen-foot clock tower on the center section of the hipped roof which was removed in the 1920's or 1930's.

As part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company's 100^th anniversary celebration in 1952, improvements were made to the station by C.H. Langman & Sons of Rock Island. The middle window on the building's south side was converted to an entranceway with a protective canopy, the mullions in the windows were refurbished, a squared ticket desk replaced four grilled booths on the north wall, and colorful murals were placed above the entrances. Plywood paneling across the wainscot was installed, covering the fireplace. The parking lot was enlarged, new convectors were installed, and the stained glass transoms were replaced with clear glass. A restaurant was added to the west side of the building which necessitated closing the west vestibule, and the men's smoking lounge. The men's restroom was relocated to the east side of the building. The restaurant closed in 1968. Finally, a monument was placed in front of the Depot for the 100^th anniversary celebration.

In 1968, following the closing of the Davenport and Moline stations, air conditioning and the suspended ceilings were added to the Depot in an effort to attract additional business. These improvements cost $20,000.

The Passenger Station served as the freight dispatcher's office, following the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company's bankruptcy in 1979, until April 1^st, 1980, when the Depot was abandoned. Most of the windows are broken and glass lies scattered on the inside and outside of the building. Office papers and records have been left scattered throughout the Passenger Station and sections of paneling have been ripped from the wall exposing the fireplace. Sections of the false ceiling are missing allowing the upper walls and ceiling to become partially visible. Structurally, the Passenger Station is in sound condition, while the other buildings may have some major deficiencies. Weeds have grown up around the Station, marring its appearance.