Union Station - Springfield, IL
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 39° 48.214 W 089° 38.910
16S E 273263 N 4409311
Union Station may be in the heart of the Land of Lincoln, but it is not part of Lincoln's history. National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded its preservation efforts an Honor Award in 2008.
Waymark Code: WMBXEV
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/01/2011
Views: 18
Of all the many historic places in Springfield, Illinois, Union Station is not associated with Abraham Lincoln in any way. This station was not constructed until 1897, over thirty years after Lincoln's death.
Union Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 primarily because of its Romanesque Revival architecture. The station was designed for the Illinois Central Railroad by its chief architect Francis Bacon.
This particular clock tower is a relatively new addition. According to the
application (
.PDF file) for listing on the National Register of Historic Places which was prepared in January of 1978, the tower was removed in 1946 for unspecified reasons.
The tower was
rebuilt between 2006 and 2007 as part of the restoration of the entire building, which was in part to help enhance the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library.
These preservation and restoration efforts were acknowledged by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2008 when Union Station received an Honor Award.