The Grand Trunk Railroad Depot: Lansing, Michigan

In 1877 the Grand Trunk Western completed its cross-state line between Lansing and Port Huron. 101 years later, it was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site. Two more years went by and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1856 the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad laid tracks through Lansing. This was followed by two more lines: in 1872 by the Michigan Central Railroad and 1879 by the Chicago and Grand Trunk Railroad. It didn't stop there; a couple of decades go by, and now Lansing had up to six railroad lines coming through the city.

When reorganized in 1900, Chicago & Grand Trunk constructed a slew of new depots throughout Mid-Michigan. Lansing's Grand Trunk station was constructed near the new REO Motor Car Company, who intentionally built the plant next to the railroad.

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Construction on the depot was started and finished in 1902. In 1971, the railway line closed the station – the same year the Union Station (later Clara's Restaurant) shut down.

In 1972, it was renovated as a restaurant – the inside was remade, but the outside stayed the same. As reported in a number of articles about the depot, they usually mention the time when Gerald Ford ate here. While he was campaigning in 1976, he and his posse stopped here for a bite to eat.

By the early 2000s, the depot was abandoned. In 2010, the depot was restored by the Lansing Board of Water & Light. The gallery below has a few photos of how the depot looked over 100 years ago, as well as how it looks in the 2020s.