Chicago and Northwestern Depot (Wilmette, Illinois)
Encyclopedia
The Chicago and Northwestern Depot is a former railway station in Wilmette
, Illinois
, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places
since 1975. The station served the Chicago and North Western Railway
along what is now Metra
's Union Pacific/North Line
. It was built in 1873 as a passenger station and became a freight station in the 1890s before closing in 1946. The station was relocated to its current location on June 13, 1974, and has since been remodeled as a restaurant. The depot has been called "Wilmette's most historic building," and the Chicago Sunday Times referred to the station as "the finest station on the entire line" upon its opening.
and cost $3,400, which was donated by ten residents. The depot was designed in the Italianate style and was a brick building with a gabled roof and columns in front. In the 1890s, Wilmette's growing number of commuters wanted a new depot to be built on the inbound side of the tracks. The Chicago and Northwestern Depot was moved one block north from the passenger station and became Wilmette's freight depot. The depot remained a freight depot until 1946, when Wilmette's freight service was transferred to Evanston
; the station was then boarded up, and its platform was removed. On June 13, 1974, the station was moved away from the railroad tracks to its current site to avoid demolition. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. A cable television
company leased the station for several years after its relocation. The building was leased to a different family and converted into a restaurant called the Old Ouilmette Depot in 1992. The restaurant closed after a 2004 fire, and the building remained vacant until 2008, when a new restaurant called Depot Nuevo opened in the building.
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since 1975. The station served the Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
along what is now Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's Union Pacific/North Line
Union Pacific/North Line
The Union Pacific/North is a commuter rail line in the Chicago metropolitan area that runs between Chicago and Waukegan, Illinois, with some trains continuing to Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is part of the Metra system, but it is operated by the Union Pacific Railroad...
. It was built in 1873 as a passenger station and became a freight station in the 1890s before closing in 1946. The station was relocated to its current location on June 13, 1974, and has since been remodeled as a restaurant. The depot has been called "Wilmette's most historic building," and the Chicago Sunday Times referred to the station as "the finest station on the entire line" upon its opening.
History
The first railroad depot in Wilmette was built in 1870-71 for $700 by a group of landowners hoping to develop the area. As well as being used as a railroad depot, this original depot was used for local elections, including the referendum on the incorporation of Wilmette in 1872. This depot burned down, and residents built the Chicago and Northwestern Depot in 1873. The depot was built to be fireproofFireproof
-Track List for Original 2002 Release:# "Fireproof" – 3:46# "Just 2 Get By" – 4:17# "Echelon" – 3:25# "Stay Up" – 3:40# "Behind Closed Doors" – 2:55# "Epidemic" – 3:14# "Hindsight" – 2:57# "Light at My Feet" – 3:28# "A Shame" – 3:17...
and cost $3,400, which was donated by ten residents. The depot was designed in the Italianate style and was a brick building with a gabled roof and columns in front. In the 1890s, Wilmette's growing number of commuters wanted a new depot to be built on the inbound side of the tracks. The Chicago and Northwestern Depot was moved one block north from the passenger station and became Wilmette's freight depot. The depot remained a freight depot until 1946, when Wilmette's freight service was transferred to Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
; the station was then boarded up, and its platform was removed. On June 13, 1974, the station was moved away from the railroad tracks to its current site to avoid demolition. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. A cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
company leased the station for several years after its relocation. The building was leased to a different family and converted into a restaurant called the Old Ouilmette Depot in 1992. The restaurant closed after a 2004 fire, and the building remained vacant until 2008, when a new restaurant called Depot Nuevo opened in the building.