Bloomington Depot Site

[Vern Sargent]

The Hyatt co. is going to build a 6-story hotel on the site of the passenger depot. I just spent a week working there for HIS Constructors removing what is left of the footings, drives, and a bunch of steam lines in underground concrete tunnels. I didn't take any pictures as it was somewhat depressing. I'll say this, she didn't give up very easy!  Vern @ G.

[Pete Pedigo]

Vern, I talked to one of H.I.S.'s guys at Tire and Wheel the other day and he was telling me about this.   I did not know you were there or I would have stopped by.

I guess this means there is no chance of a Depot replica along the trail.
Pete

[Ken Weller]

Maybe the Hyatt Hotel folks could be convinced to make the first story or so to resemble the former Monon depot.
And maybe have reproductions of old depot/Monon photos!

[Ron Marquardt]

My only question is "where are their customers going to park?"  See attached Google image of the area.  I don't see much parking anywhere near that location.  / Ron

[Tom Kepshire]

My guess is they may also build a parking garage. City center in South Bend incorporated a parking garage in the hotel when it replaced the old Oliver Hotel in downtown South Bend. That is just a SWAG on my part.  It would be nice to see if a part, or parts of the new building can display a railroad and Monon presence.

[George Lortz]

I agree with Ken about depot photos.  If the Society can come up with some good photos of the old depot, maybe we could offer them to Hyatt.  It's a good guess that they aren't aware of the historical significance of the site and would welcome photos or prints to display in the hotel lobby.  They could also consider it a theme for the hotel.  I believe the hotel is not far from the monument and hiking trail that was dedicated a few years ago.

George L.

[Christopher Stone]

There was a question in the "Hotline" section of the Herald Times (the Bloomington paper) a couple of weeks ago about what was previously in that spot.  Unfortunately the HT didn't publish any photos (at least not on their website).  They did mention the Passnger Depot and the Freight House on the other side of the tracks, but not the adjacent, earlier engine facility.  I'm sure they would publish more information if it was sent to them. The Hotline column often publishes followup items.

Here is the link:

http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2013/05/15/digitalcity.hotline-what-once-was.sto?1369799029

It's behind a paywall, so here's an excerpt of the (answer) text:

A: The lot where the hotel will stand most recently was used for Chase Bank’s drive-through banking operations.

However, the property’s longer and most distinctive use was as a depot for the Monon Railroad and its predecessor transportation companies, which served Bloomington from the mid-1840s until 1971.

CFC President Jim Murphy said in an email that the Monon passenger depot was between Fourth Street and Kirkwood Avenue, Gentry Street and what now is the B-Line Trail. That’s where the hotel is being built.

Murphy didn’t know what had occupied the lot immediately west of the B-Line, but with help from the Monroe County History Center, Hotline was able to piece together some of the history.

Sandborn Fire Insurance maps of 1887 show the lot immediately west of the railroad line on Fifth Street (as Kirkwood Avenue was called then) was occupied by what appear to be warehouses for the railroad and/or the adjacent J. Waldron Tannery. The W.B. Hughes Lumber Yard was on the northwest corner of Fourth Street and the railroad line, approximately where WonderLab is today. A combined freight and passenger depot is shown east of the tracks.

By 1913, according to the Sandborn maps, a separate freight depot had been built on the west side of the tracks along Fifth/Kirkwood, and a passenger depot was on the east side of the tracks. The depots were torn down in the mid-1960s, according to materials at the history center and an informational kiosk on the B-Line.

CFC has extensive experience restoring historic properties in downtown Bloomington and elsewhere, and Murphy said it is rare to uncover artifacts during excavations.

When something is found, Murphy said the items are evaluated and often shared with the public by putting them on display or giving them to a museum.