Michigan’s Historic Railroad Stations

Kalamazoo

96 S imply put, Kalamazoo—like its neighbor Jackson—won the depot lottery. This 1887 red and pink sandstone Romanesque station with its multipeaked roofline is a honey of a building—fun to look at, warm and inviting, and a striking civic monument. It’s the sharp contrast between the red and pink stone that pushes this Romanesque structure in a Victorian, not Richardsonian, direction. (The style’s namesake , H. H. Richardson of Boston, rarely worked with bright color. And Kalamazoo is bright.) The design is by New York architect Cyrus L. Eidlitz, who’s probably best known for the old New York Times building, the little triangular skyscraper that holds the Times Square countdown clock on New Year’s Eve. In Kalamazoo, it would appear that Eidlitz just wanted to have fun. From the commanding semicircular arches at the main entrance, ponderously edged in enormous pink sandstone blocks, to the steep, red-tiled roof, this is a building with character and style. The overall look is Romanesque, but some of the detailing, particularly the green woodwork above the main entry arch, is Stick style—an interesting blending of two of the most popular architectural styles of the 1880s. Kalamazoo has long been a must-do stop for presidents and aspiring presidents alike. Teddy Roosevelt blew through briefly while he was still governor of New York State, and both Dwight D. Eisenhower and running mate Richard M. Nixon visited in 1952—in the former’s case, probably shortly 1887—Michigan Central Railroad 459 North Burdick Street ARCHITECT: Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz CONDITION: Excellent USE: Amtrak station Kalamazoo No other Michigan station plays with color and texture as enthusiastically as the Michigan Central’s 1887 Kalamazoo station—a striking monument in a significant railroad town. Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz was the architect, best known for the old New York Times building—the one where the ball drops on New Year’s Eve. Eidliz also built Chicago’s Dearborn Station with its spectacular brick tower, now a part of the Printer’s Row redevelopment.With Kalamazoo, Eidlitz mixed the rounded arches and overall “heaviness” of the Romanesque with unexpected Stick style detailing that lightens the whole mood.Throughout, the architect exults in the visual tension set up by the smooth red brick and rough-cut pink sandstone. 03 Part 2.indd 96 7/9/12 5:30 PM 97 03 Part 2.indd 97 7/9/12 5:30 PM 98 03 Part 2.indd 98 7/9/12 5:30 PM 99 Like many old Michigan stations, Kalamazoo’s Michigan Central depot—now an Amtrak stop—had suffered a raft of “improvements” over the years. But in 2006, the depot underwent a topto -bottom renovation.Architect Brendon Pollard at Kalamazoo’s Kingscott Associates had one aim in mind—restoring the venerable building to as close to the original design as possible.This meant clearing out interior clutter and restoring the ticket booth and waiting room with its magnificent coffered ceiling, as well as replacing deteriorated sections of exterior sandstone detailing. The original Portage Creek sandstone came from the Upper Peninsula, but that is no longer quarried. Happily, Pollard was able to find a near twin in Utah sandstone with similar blond veining that did the trick. 03 Part 2.indd 99 7/9/12 5:31 PM 100 after giving his stump speech at Jackson. Presidential candidate Nixon also campaigned here in 1960, speaking to a crowd estimated at ten thousand from the back of an observation car at the depot. But it was President William Howard Taft—the first sitting president to visit Kalamazoo—who really did the town proud. On September 21, 1911, “Big Bill” laid the cornerstone of the new YMCA and visited Western Michigan Normal, Nazareth College, and Kalamazoo College. He rode back downtown in the elegant Pierce Arrow owned by Alfred B. Connable, a Republican later elected mayor. To majestically light the way for these potentates, residents up and down their route organized, Kalamazoo is unusual in that it’s done the sensible thing—locating its bus station right at the depot, for ease in switching from one form of mass transit to another. Purists might grumble that the modern bus sheds flanking the station’s main entrance are inappropriate and, more to the point, partly block the view of the depot...