Akron Union Station was a series of three union stations serving several passenger railroads in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

from 1852 to 1971. The station's tenants included the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad,

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

and

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

. It was a hub, serving train companies serving destinations in different directions, west, north, south and east.

First station

The original station was constructed by the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad in 1852. The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad moved their passenger service from a station near the modern

Quaker Square Quaker Square was a shopping and dining complex located in downtown Akron, Ohio which is now used by the University of Akron. Quaker Square was the original Quaker Oats factory; the complex consists of the former mill, factory, and silos. The bui ...

to this station in 1864. The at-grade station was replaced in 1891 when a grade-separation project was completed through downtown Akron.

Second station

Amelia Flats and Union Station (14091238264)

The second station building at 245 East Market Street was completed and in operation in 1891. The Akron Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opened in the same year, directly connecting Akron to Lodi and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Upon opening to passengers, service was provided by the B&O, the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad (which had broken free of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh and its parent

Pennsylvania Company The Pennsylvania Company, later known publicly as the Pennsylvania Lines (west of Pittsburgh) was a major holding company. It included the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railway, the PRR's main route to Chicago. It also owned but did not oper ...

), the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad under lease of the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad. The latter company later merged into the B&O, completing the main line from

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

to Chicago. The services of the

Valley Railway The Valley Railway was a shortline railroad which operated between the city of Cleveland and small town of Zoarville in the state of Ohio in the United States. The railroad was founded in 1871, but the first segment of track did not open until ...

were brought to the depot after a similar merge with the B&O. In 1899, the CA&C was returned to Pennsylvania Company control. The company merged into the

in 1919. The NYP&O was a part of the

by 1900. The station was closed in 1950 and it was demolished in 1951.

Passenger services

Representative services in 1946 featured these trains: *Baltimore & Ohio **''

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

'' (Detroit, MI - Baltimore, MD) **'' Blue Ridge Limited'' (Washington, DC - Chicago, IL via Pittsburgh) (west-bound only) **'' Capitol Limited'' (Chicago, IL - Jersey City, NJ via Pittsburgh) (east-bound) **''

Cleveland Night Express The ''Cleveland Night Express'' was an American named train of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on its route between Baltimore, Maryland and Cleveland, Ohio with major station stops in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The B&O ...

'' (Baltimore, MD - Cleveland, OH) **'' Shenandoah'' (Chicago, IL - Jersey City, NJ) **unnamed Cleveland - Akron - Wheeling service *Erie Railroad **'' Atlantic Express/Pacific Express'' (Chicago, IL - Hoboken, NJ) **''

Erie Limited The ''Erie Limited'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Erie Railroad between Jersey City, New Jersey (for New York City) and Chicago, Illinois via the Southern Tier. It operated from 1929 to 1963. After the merger of the Erie an ...

'' (Chicago, IL - Hoboken, NJ) **''Midlander'' (Chicago, IL - Hoboken, NJ) (forerunner to the '' Lake Cities'') *Pennsylvania Railroad **''Akronite'' (Akron - New York, NY) **''Clevelander'' (New York, NY - Cleveland, OH, via Akron) (west-bound only) **''Gotham Limited/Golden Triangle'' (Chicago, IL - Cleveland, OH, via Akron) **unnamed Cleveland - Akron - Columbus - Cincinnati service, unnamed Cleveland - Akron local service

Third station and final years

The third station, Akron Union Depot, reflecting the shift of location, was opened in 1950 and was located five blocks away, on the east side of the tracks, at 220 Wolf Ledges Parkway. The Erie Railroad split away in 1949, moving to a separate station on the adjacent Broadway Street. By the 1950s the Pennsylvania Railroad eliminated the Columbus to Cleveland trains, and Union Station was served by an Akron to

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taxi shuttle. The station was closed in 1971, as the last trains being the B&O's ''Capitol Limited'' and a shortened Akron-Washington '' Shenandoah'' day train. The ''Capitol Limited'' would be subsequently rerouted with the assumption of passenger services by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

. Akron briefly saw train service in the 1990s with the arrival of the rerouting of the ''

Broadway Limited The ''Broadway Limited'' was a passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) between New York City and Chicago. It operated from 1912 to 1995. It was the Pennsylvania's premier train, competing directly with the New York Central R ...

and the Three Rivers.''

Disposition today

The 1950 station is currently used by the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classified ...

as its Buckingham Center for Continuing Education.UA Buildings and Facilities, The University of Akron: University Communications and Marketing The depot was scheduled for demolition in 2010 as part of a new law school to be built by the university, but plans were scrapped due to local backlash. As a result, a new expansion and renovation was instead added to the C. Blake McDowell Law Center, across the street from Buckingham. Buckingham has been internally renovated as of March 2020.

Notes

References

{{Erie Main Line stations Former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad stations Former Erie Railroad stations Former Pennsylvania Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1852 Railway stations closed in 1971 Transportation in Akron, Ohio

Former railway stations in Ohio