8. The LaSalle Street Station
The first railroad station erected at 414 La Salle Street in Chicago opened for business in May, 1852. It served the Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad, later adding service to the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. The station proved to be too small to accommodate passenger demand and a new station on the site opened in 1866. The Great Fire consumed that station, though it was rebuilt. Another station opened on the site in 1903. It served several railroads, among them the New York Central, the Michigan Central, and the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railway. Commuter trains also connected with the LaSalle Street Station, and several westbound trains operated out of the station.
The famed 20th Century Limited which connected New York and Chicago used the LaSalle Street Station until 1968. The station became a symbol of the city and a movie star, appearing in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and again in the Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor film, Silver Streak. The Rock Island-Southern Pacific train Golden State Limited operated from LaSalle from its inception in 1902 until 1968. Metra’s (Chicago commuter rail) Rock Island District is served by another station on the LaSalle Street site in the 21st century. The site has been serving travelers in Chicago for nearly 150 years, a major cog in the city’s transportation system.