{"nrhp_refnum":"78001200","name":"Union Station","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"50 E. Jefferson St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Joliet","county":"Will County","state":"IL","lat":41.524402965000036,"lon":-88.07982946199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-08-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Union Station is a railroad passenger station at 50 E. Jefferson St. in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, completed in 1912 to serve four trunk-line railroads. It was designed by architect Jarvis Hunt and built by Cook Engineering & Construction.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the station is significant for transportation, as the consolidated passenger depot of a major railroad center, and for architecture, as the work of Jarvis Hunt. Its hexagonal plan fits a site where two main lines cross at an acute angle, which the form calls unique in the Midwest. It is also described as a visible reminder of Joliet's former importance as a railroad center.","narrative":"Union Station in Joliet, Illinois, is a railroad depot completed in 1912 at a cost of $2,000,000, together with a track elevation project. It replaced separate passenger stations run by four trunk-line railroads, and passenger traffic peaked at 101 trains a day. Architect Jarvis Hunt designed it as an oblong hexagon with wings, fitting a site where two main lines cross at an acute angle. The steel-frame building is faced in Bedford limestone and has three great arches, a carriage court and a high arched waiting room. Inside are Tennessee marble floors and stairs, bronze fixtures and a 57-foot Belgian marble slab in the ticket lobby. Alterations include a 1962 dropped ceiling, a ticket lobby closed with cement block in 1975 and removal of the train sheds. The station was listed as a reminder of Joliet's role as a railroad center and as an example of Hunt's transportation architecture and large-scale interior design.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Architect: Jarvis Hunt; Builder: Cook Engineering & Const.","architectural_style":"Broad, simplified classical forms (described in the text; no formal style name given)","criteria":[],"status_note":"The structure is sound and the station survives virtually intact, but the street-level portion is unoccupied and water-damaged. The station still serves commuter and Amtrak trains, and the platforms need repair.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.511154-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/45/8943/28894345/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78001200.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001200/c754af03ae-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001200/c754af03ae-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Zol87","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joliet_Union_Station.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zol87</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joliet_Union_Station.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894345","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joliet_Union_Station","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6270003"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/will-county/union-station-78001200/"}