Evanston Arts Depot

In 1909 the news of four new stations was chronicled in the Evanston Index. The Davis Street, Dempster, Main and Calvary Depots were to be built in 1909. The Central street station was to be built sometime after 1909. On October 23, The Index related that work would soon be completed on the new depots and trains were already stopping at the Main Street Depot. Subsequently in later years the Calvary and Dempster Street stations were abandoned leaving only the Main, Central and Davis Sheet stations in operation, the oldest of which is the Main Street Depot.

The Main Street Depot as well as the entities presently involved in its use are deeply interwoven into the historic fabric of Evanston. Although the depot ridership has traveled on the tracks of two different railroads and the rolling stock of two different commuting corporations, the Main Street Depot has remained a viable and vibrant structure from its completion to the present. And in addition to housing the operations of the Chicago‑Northwestern Railroad, The Union Pacific and Metra, this Depot has been the site of an important civic; and cultural event. In 1971 a civic‑minded group interested in promoting not only their own welfare but also the cultural well-being of the community, began a yearly fair they called the Custer Street Fair, after Custer St., one of the main thoroughfares of the neighborhood. The unique access road of the depot has served for some fifteen years as the prime location for participants in the Fair, which has become a cultural event, important in the past years as well as the present, to the yearly flow of significant events in Evanston. The Fair was first established by a group of artisans and retailers. The then executive director, John Szostek, assumed his duty in 1978, and in 1985, the group was incorporated as a nonprofit organization. The Main Street Depot had been the home of the Fair’s workshop and offices prior to Mr. Szostek’s effort to restore the station. Over the years, the merchants of Chicago Avenue, Main Street, and others have joined, either by request of the merchants themselves or the City, to expand the Fair. The Fair, at its present community-wide size, attracts 80,000 people each year, 450 arts and craft exhibitors, thirty restaurants, and three stages (or theatrical performances. The Fair itself was inducted into The Illinois Festival Hall of Fame In 1992, was voted as the favorite Art Fair by the readers of North Shore magazine in 1993, and was selected to participate in the State of Illinois Best of Fests in 1988.

An early inhabitant of the Depot was a group of model railroaders called the Pufferbellies, who occupied the upper south waiting room before 1982. In 1982, the Chicago Tribune noted a fire that decimated the south waiting room and a portion of the ticket‑office. Since then, the south waiting room has remained unoccupied.

The importance of this structure’s architect and builder relates not to its uniqueness but rather to its complete utilitarian and elegant expression of a style used repeatedly by railroads across the country. The broad overhangs and long trackside exposure of each of these buildings make for a rather pleasant length-to-width proportion, and when a pleasing brick is used and the structure is two stories tall, the impression of this building can be dramatic. The architects of this station were Frost and Granger, and according to the Bureau Of Valuation of the I. C. C. and the valuation made by F. F. Rose on July 16, 1919, the station was built according to the Frost and Granger drawings.

Whether by intent or not, the urbanization of large cities transformed into suburban life, which is now in force around most large cities due to the institution of the automobile and the commuter train. It may or may not be a planning or urban design technique, but it has been a significant factor in urban and suburban growth. As a significant part of the commuting pattern of North Shore residents and the railroad system, it represents one of the most handsome stations along the track. It is one of the distinctive properties of a group of non-contiguous structures (stations). It also represents an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, familiar to passersby as well as close to a thousand commuters a day.

This landmark candidate for nomination as a designated landmark district replaced an old and dingy structure used by the Northwestern Railroad with a new building, which was to be Main Street’s new train depot. The new building, finished in 1909, was of that same modified Swiss style of architecture. As the other depots in Evanston were being constructed simultaneously, all were distinctly ornamental and in fine architectural style. The new structure at that time, being a busy train depot, brought commuters to and from the big City to the south, and the new building greatly enhanced Evanston’s architectural and aesthetic value. This structure has become and is of special interest to thousands of Evanstonians, its neighbors, and the area’s citizens.

This magnificent structure was restored to its original architectural eloquence through the efforts of John Szostek, Executive Director of Piccolo Theatre, Inc., the nonprofit that managed the Depot and the Custer Fair at the time.

After John Szostek retired, the nonprofit gave up the Depot and disbanded.

The magnificent Depot is now unoccupied. This structure wonderfully represents the Swiss style of architecture and should be preserved for the aesthetic enjoyment of Evanston’s present and future citizens.