Great Central Station
Great Central Station, also known as Great Central Depot, was an intercity train station in Chicago, Illinois, owned by the Illinois Central Railroad (IC). It opened in 1856 and for a time was the largest building in downtown Chicago. Its passenger depot building was located on Water Street. The IC had its headquarters in offices above the depot, while beyond the depot was the large rail house where eight track lines ran. It was damaged in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 but remained in operation. The station proved inadequate to handle growing traffic and its original building was demolished in 1893 in favor of the new Central Station at the southern end of Grant Park. Although it continued to receive some traffic, over time it increasingly became a commuter rail depot. Millennium Station, formerly Randolph Street Terminal, sits on the location. Design The station was designed by Otto H. Matz and included both a head house and a train shed. The most distinctive feature of the train shed was the three masonry arches fronting the wooden structure. Architectural historian Carroll Meeks criticized the front of the head house, calling it an "ill-assorted complex of disparate elements." Carl W. Condit