Great Central Station, Chicago. (1856-1893)

Great Central Station, also known as Great Central Depot, was an intercity train station in Chicago, Illinois owned by the Illinois Central Railroad. It opened in 1856 and for a time was the largest building in downtown Chicago. 

Grand Central Station, Chicago, Ill. 1858

It was damaged in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 but remained in operation. The station proved inadequate to handle growing traffic and was demolished in 1893 in favor of Central Station. Millennium Station, formerly Randolph Street Terminal, sits on its location at South Water Street and Michigan Avenue.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.