Michael Hodges 200 pages hardcover
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.
