Kalamazoo Transportation Center

Kalamazoo, MI
The 1887-built Michigan Central Railroad depot in 2014
General information
Location459 North Burdick Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan
United States
Coordinates42°17′44″N 85°35′03″W / 42.29556°N 85.58417°W / 42.29556; -85.58417
Owned byCity of Kalamazoo
Line(s)Amtrak Michigan Line
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks2
Bus stands20
Bus operators
Construction
ParkingYes; paid
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: KAL
History
Opened1887
Rebuilt2006
Passengers
FY 202397,957[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Dowagiac
toward Chicago
 Blue Water Battle Creek
toward Port Huron
Wolverine Battle Creek
toward Pontiac
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Niles
toward Chicago
 Lake Cities Battle Creek
toward Pontiac
Dowagiac
toward Chicago
 International Battle Creek
toward Toronto
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Mattawan
toward Chicago
 Michigan Central Railroad
Main Line
 Comstock
toward Buffalo
Portage
toward Elkhart
 Kalamazoo Branch Argenta
toward Grand Rapids
Alamo
toward South Haven
 South Haven Branch Terminus
Michigan Central Depot (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
Map
LocationKalamazoo, Michigan, USA
ArchitectCyrus Eidlitz
Architectural styleRomanesque
NRHP reference No.75000949[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 11, 1975
Designated MSHSFebruary 21, 1975

The Kalamazoo Transportation Center is an Intermodal train and bus station in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan.[3] It is the second-busiest Amtrak station in Michigan, after Ann Arbor.[4] The Kalamazoo Transportation Center serves as the main hub for Kalamazoo Metro local buses, and also serves intercity buses operated by Greyhound and Indian Trails.

The railroad station was built in 1887 by the Michigan Central Railroad, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. An expansion project in 2005 and 2006 renovated the original station building and added a bus station for local and intercity buses.

The station is served by Amtrak's Blue Water and Wolverine trains, as part of Amtrak's Michigan Services brand. The station was formerly served by the International, a Toronto–Chicago service which operated from 1982 to 2004 as a partnership between Via Rail and Amtrak.[5]

History

Looking north towards the train station. The new bus bays are to the left and right.

The original depot was built in 1887 by the Michigan Central Railroad, to a design by architect Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz,[6] replacing an earlier structure. Regular passenger rail service between Kalamazoo and Detroit had commenced in 1846.[7] In the main part of its history in the latter 19th century and early 20th century, the depot hosted trains for the Michigan Central and the New York Central. Major NYC named trains passing through the station included the Canadian (east to Detroit and Toronto), the Chicago Mercury (east to Detroit) and the Wolverine (east to New York via Detroit and southwestern Canada, in contrast to the modern train).[8]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 11, 1975.[9][10]

The station was rebuilt as a multi-modal facility in 2005. The project was a collaboration between local, state, and federal authorities, with the Department of Transportation awarding a $3.8 million grant.[11]

Description

The original Kalamazoo depot is a single-story Romanesque structure with a high hip-roofed central mass, and smaller hip-roofed sections on each end. A gable-roofed porch with a Syrian arch protrudes on one side of the central mass. The main structure has strong horizontal lines, counterbalanced by brick chimneys and an octagonal cupola that extend vertically from the roof. A conical turret and rock-faced masonry arches in the facade provide the Romanesque feel.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Jessup, Kathy (September 16, 2006). "Transportation center off to smooth start". Kalamazoo Gazette.
  4. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023, State of Michigan" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024.
  5. ^ Matt Melzer (April 23, 2004). "Final Run of the Amtrak / VIA International". TrainWeb.org. Retrieved August 4, 2015. From 1982, Amtrak and VIA Rail Canada had jointly operated the International train between Chicago and Toronto
  6. ^ Potter, Janet Greenstein (1996). Great American Railroad Stations. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 344. ISBN 978-0471143895.
  7. ^ "Michigan's Railroad History 1825 - 2014" (PDF). Michigan Department of Transportation. 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  8. ^ June 1951 New York Central timetable, Tables 7, 15, 26 http://streamlinermemories.info/NYC/NYC51-6TT.pdf
  9. ^ Kalamazoo County Listings
  10. ^ Kohrman (2003), 23.
  11. ^ "$3.8 Million Transit Grant Will Help Revitalize Downtown Kalamazoo". U.S. Department of Transportation. October 19, 2004. Archived from the original on September 24, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  12. ^ John Kern (April 22, 1975), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM: Michigan Central Depot, File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Michigan, 1964 - 2013

Further reading

Media related to Kalamazoo Transportation Center at Wikimedia Commons