Chesterton station (New York Central Railroad)

Chesterton is a disused train station in Chesterton, Indiana. The current depot replaced a wooden structure built in 1852 for the Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad, a predecessor road of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, that burned down in 1913. It was rebuilt in 1914 as a brick structure.[2] By 1914, Cornelius Vanderbilt of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad held a majority interest in the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. The Southern Railways trackage provided an ideal extension of the New York Central from Buffalo to Chicago. On December 22, 1914, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad merged with the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway to form a new New York Central Railroad.[3]

Chesterton
New York Central Passenger Depot, Chesterton, Indiana (trackside)
Location220 Broadway
Chesterton, Indiana
Coordinates41°36′41″N 87°3′16″W
History
Opened1924
Closed1959
Former services
Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station
Porter
toward Chicago
 Main Line Burdick
toward New York
New York Central Railroad Passenger Depot
New York Central Railroad Passenger Depot
Location in Indiana
New York Central Railroad Passenger Depot
Location in United States
LocationChesterton, Indiana
Coordinates41°36′41″N 87°3′16″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1914 (1914)
Built byLake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
Architectural styleBungalow/American Craftsman
NRHP reference No.98001103[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 28, 1998

The New York Central Railroad, built the new Chesterton Depot out of brick and to the west, across Fourth Street, they built a freight house that same year.[2]

In 1968, the New York Central merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1976, the Penn Central's freight service was consolidated into Conrail and it ended passenger service altogether. Passenger service to Chesterton ended in 1959.[4] The rail lines are currently operated by Norfolk Southern.

Architecture

The Passenger Depot is identified in the National Register as Bungalow/American Craftsman style, whereas the Indiana State Historic Office (SHP) and Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana identify the structure as Spanish Eclectic[5] The Porter County Interim report also identifies the construction date as 1924.[5] This contradiction with the National Register information may reflect a building upgrade in 1924. The adjacent freight house retains the bungalow/American Craftsman styling, which may be the original (pre-1921) style of the passenger depot.[6]

According to the Indiana Office of Historic Preservation, attributes of the bungalow/American Craftsmap style are simple form, usually low side gable roof, large porch, heavy brick piers or square tapered wood posts, overhanging eaves with simple knee braces, low pitched roof, natural materials, wood siding, brick, stucco, cobblestone. Attributes of Spanish Eclectic style are clay tile roofs, little or no overhanging eaves, stucco walls, arches, especially above doors, porch entries or primary windows, elaborate entryways, decorative ironwork.[7]

  • New York Central Passenger Depot, Chesterton, Indiana (trackside)
  • New York Central Freight Depot, Chesterton, Indiana (trackside)
  • New York Central Freight Depot, Chesterton, Indiana

National Register of Historic Sites

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Longest, Dave E. Railroad Depots of Northern Indiana. Arcadia Publishing. p. 74.
  3. The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. 1989. ISBN 9780933449091.
  4. "New York Central System - Form 1001" (PDF). canadasouthern.com. New York Central Railroad. October 25, 1959. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  5. Porter County Interim Report; Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. July 1991.
  6. "Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD)" (Searchable database). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Retrieved June 1, 2016. Note: This includes Morrow, Jim (March 1997). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: New York Central Railroad Passenger Depot, Chesterton, Indiana" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2016. and Accompanying photographs.
  7. "Search Results: Patoka Lake". State of Indiana. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
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