11. Dearborn Station
When it opened in 1885, Dearborn Station featured steeply pitched roofs above its three stories of usable space, and a twelve-story clock tower. During a rebuild in the early 1920s, the steep roofs and dormers were removed. Ten tracks, protected by a large train shed, accommodated trains arriving and departing. The amenities within the station included one of Fred Harvey’s restaurants, with the famed Harvey Girls waiting on passengers and others. At its height, the station serviced 146 trains per day, including some of the famous trains from the Golden Age of Railroading.
The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe’s Super Chief used Dearborn Station as its Chicago destination, as did the railroad’s El Capitan and Chief. The Chesapeake and Ohio’s Pere Marquette began using Dearborn station in the 1960s. Canada’s Grand Trunk Western trains also used Dearborn Station when arriving in Chicago. Dearborn Station ceased operating as a railroad station when Amtrak discontinued operations there in 1971. The tracks which formerly provided workers and commerce to the city are now the site of Dearborn Park, and the station itself serves as commercial and retail space.