Author: Janet Greenstein Potter
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 9780471143895
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 118
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Book Description
"[S]ociety so often allows masterpieces of architecture...to be destroyed or altered as though real estate ownership supersedes any other value system....The best railroad stations were conceived in the dreams of architects and civil engineers, and then brought to life by talented craftspeople....This guidebook is a tribute not only to those who built these stations, but also the railroaders who worked within the depots and on the platforms...." — Janet Greenstein Potter Bustling nerve centers of a dynamic young society on the move, grand last farewells and first welcomes for millions of weary travelers, enduring monuments to the birth of the world's first truly modern nation, railroad stations played a central role in the shaping of the United States and its unique culture. Now, in this, the definitive guide to America's great railroad stations, writer and architectural historian Janet Greenstein Potter tells the stories of more than 700 of these masterpieces. An excellent resource for on-site and armchair travelers alike, this lavishly illustrated guide provides a generous mix of historical and practical information. Potter provides a detailed biographical profile of each station, covering the year of construction, name of original railroad, designer, style, and materials. Focusing on buildings that are still standing, she discusses depots that have been restored as well as those on the verge of distinction, explains what the station is used for today, and describes its current condition from a preservation/restoration standpoint. And, with the help of more than 500 beautiful archival photographs and detailed drawings, she helps you to gain a fuller understanding of what these structures were like in their heyday. For quick, easy reference, the book has been organized by region. Stations in all 50 of the United States are covered, and the street addresses of each building have been provided. Offering an unparalleled opportunity to experience the grandeur and vitality of a bygone era, Great American Railroad Stations is an indispensable resource for travelers, architects and design professionals, preservationists, and train and transportation enthusiasts.
Author: Roger Straus
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101545313
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 778
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Book Description
An evocative and stunning photographic tribute to America's railroad stations. For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the railroad station or depot was the communal hub of every American town that could boast of train service. There, citizens gathered before they sent loved ones off to college, marriage, or war-and where they greeted them on their return. Most of these buildings were architectural gems, and while many are still in service, certain others now house museums, banks, restaurants, and more. In fact, in cities like Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, renovated stations are destinations unto themselves even for those not boarding the train. And in other places, whole sections of towns have been remade around these structures, restoring their vitality in novel and interesting ways long after the last train has left the station. In America's Great Railroad Stations, award-winning photographer Roger Straus III, and two lifelong railroad buffs, Ed Breslin and Hugh Van Dusen, join forces to tell the astonishing story of these enduring structures and the important role they still play in the country's landscape. Journeying from the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Union Pacific to Michigan Central and more, readers will be dazzled by the Beaux Arts monuments of New York and the adobe buildings of the Southwest. Filled with both new and archival photographs and drawings, this volume is a glorious salute to the institution that transformed our nation.
Author: Hans Halberstadt
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780760705414
Category : Railroad stations
Languages : en
Pages : 200
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Book Description
Time has run out for many railroad terminals and depots, but their history and photos of dozens of these buildings is presented here.
Author:
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
ISBN: 0814334830
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 200
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Book Description
A photographic survey of 31 railroad stations around the state of Michigan with architectural observations and short histories of each. When the railroad revolutionized passenger travel in the nineteenth century, architects were forced to create from scratch a building to accommodate the train's sudden centrality in social and civic life. The resulting depots, particularly those built in the glory days from 1890 to 1925, epitomize the era's optimism and serve as physical anchors to both the past and the surrounding urban fabric. In Michigan's Historic Railroad Stations writer and photographer Michael H. Hodges presents depots ranging from functioning Amtrak stops (Jackson) to converted office buildings (Battle Creek) and spectacular abandoned wrecks (Saginaw and Detroit) to highlight the beauty of these iconic structures and remind readers of the key role architecture and historic preservation play in establishing an area's sense of place. Along with his striking contemporary photographs of the stations, Hodges includes historic pictures and postcards, as well as images of "look-alike" depots elsewhere in the state. For each building Hodges provides a short history, a discussion of its architectural style, and an assessment of how the depot fits with the rest of its town or city. Hodges also comments on the condition of the depot and its use today. An introduction summarizes the functional and stylistic evolution of the train station in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and surveys the most important academic works on the subject, while an epilogue considers the role of the railroad depot in creating the American historic-preservation movement. The railroad station's decline parallels a decrease in the use of public space generally in American life over the last century. Michigan's Historic Railroad Stations will reacquaint readers with the building type that once served as the nation's principal crossroads, and the range of architectural styles it employed both to tame and exalt rail transportation. Readers interested in Michigan railroad history as well as historic preservation will not want to miss this handsome volume.
Author: Carroll L. V. Meeks
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781258210540
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 326
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Book Description
Profusely illustrated book chronicles evolution of station architecture in Europe and America, 1830s to 1950s. 231 views -- photographs, illustrations, floor plans and cutaways.
Author: John Kelly
Publisher: Enthusiast Books
ISBN: 9781583882160
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
No other American city had such a fascinating group of railroad passenger stations as Chicago. This book highlights Chicago's six major railroad stations and the trains that served them. Included are Dearborn Station, Grand Central Station, Central Station, La Salle Street Station, North Western Station, and Union Station. During the heyday of passenger trains, Chicago was the undisputed rail center of the United States and its railroad stations were the gates to everywhere. Chicago's railroad stations featured superb architecture with marble floors and staircases, while restaurants, newsstands and shops filled the concourse areas. Steel latticework beams helped support glass-domed roofs and public address systems echoed train information throughout the high-ceiling stations. Huge station clocks loomed above the brass and neon train bulletin boards that listed "On Time" trains. Beyond the boarding gates, the constant parade of trains sounded with clanging bells and rumbling steel wheels. Historic photographs feature name trains like Super Chief, Capitol Limited, 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, California Zephyr, Hiawatha, 400, and City of Denver. Included are maps, station drawings, timetables and promotional advertising.
Author: Sam Roberts
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 1455525952
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 271
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Book Description
A rich, illustrated - and entertaining -- history of the iconic Grand Central Terminal, from one of New York City's favorite writers, just in time to celebrate the train station's 100th fabulous anniversary. In the winter of 1913, Grand Central Station was officially opened and immediately became one of the most beautiful and recognizable Manhattan landmarks. In this celebration of the one hundred year old terminal, Sam Roberts of The New York Times looks back at Grand Central's conception, amazing history, and the far-reaching cultural effects of the station that continues to amaze tourists and shuttle busy commuters. Along the way, Roberts will explore how the Manhattan transit hub truly foreshadowed the evolution of suburban expansion in the country, and fostered the nation's westward expansion and growth via the railroad. Featuring quirky anecdotes and behind-the-scenes information, this book will allow readers to peek into the secret and unseen areas of Grand Central -- from the tunnels, to the command center, to the hidden passageways. With stories about everything from the famous movies that have used Grand Central as a location to the celestial ceiling in the main lobby (including its stunning mistake) to the homeless denizens who reside in the building's catacombs, this is a fascinating and, exciting look at a true American institution.
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307498123
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 162
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Book Description
From the bestselling author of The Passenger and the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Road • A startling encounter on a New York subway platform leads two strangers to a run-down tenement where a life or death decision must be made. In that small apartment, “Black” and “White,” as the two men are known, begin a conversation that leads each back through his own history, mining the origins of two fundamentally opposing world views. White is a professor whose seemingly enviable existence of relative ease has left him nonetheless in despair. Black, an ex-con and ex-addict, is the more hopeful of the men–though he is just as desperate to convince White of the power of faith as White is desperate to deny it. Their aim is no less than this: to discover the meaning of life. Deft, spare, and full of artful tension, The Sunset Limited is a beautifully crafted, consistently thought-provoking, and deceptively intimate work by one of the most insightful writers of our time. Look for Cormac McCarthy's latest bestselling novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris.
Author: Jim Sundman
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 1439656908
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 128
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Book Description
In 1857, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) took over Pennsylvania’s Main Line of Public Works, a state-owned railroad and canal system built in the 1830s. Costly to build and maintain, and never attracting the traffic needed to sustain it, the state was eager to let it go. Keeping the rail portion and combining it with its own lines, the PRR ultimately developed a well-built and well-run rail line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh all while keeping the “main line” moniker. The eastern section between Philadelphia and Harrisburg was especially successful, particularly after the railroad built new communities along the line that were at first summer destinations and later year-round homes for daily commuters. Other towns and cities along the main line had a strong industrial or agricultural base needing rail access, and many of these communities had attractive train stations. Images of America: Pennsylvania Main Line Railroad Stations: Philadelphia to Harrisburg documents many of these passenger stations through vintage photographs and other images. Most are gone, but fortunately some still stand and are in use today.
Author: Bill Bradley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781563420030
Category : Los Angeles (Calif.)
Languages : en
Pages : 120
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Book Description
