Saturday, Jan, 16, 2016
10am – Noon
REO Town Depot (former GTW Depot)
1203 S Washington Ave, Lansing MI 48910
Map & Directions
It is becoming somewhat of a tradition for MARP to have its first meeting of the New Year in Lansing’s former GTW station which has been reborn as the REO Town Depot. This classic Spier & Rohn-designed structure was built in 1902 for the Grand Trunk Western Railway, but has not seen service as a passenger station since 1971. The building has been painstakingly restored in conjunction with the development of the new Lansing Board of Water & Light co-generation plant with which it shares the 5.3 acre site in the area known as REO Town. The depot is listed on the State Register of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places.
Tim Hoeffner, Director of MDOT’s Office of Rail, is our featured speaker. He will give us an update on the progress made in 2015 on the Wolverine corridor upgrade as well as what to expect in 2016 for Michigan passenger trains.
Plan to arrive a bit early so you can look around the building, The BWL spent more than $2.8 million to restore it as its home for board meetings and employee training. From the terra cotta roof to the dark wood ceiling, period light fixtures, windows, and wainscoting, the restoration has been described as “stunning”.
Of particular interest is the eye-catching terra cotta roof. The tiles were 110 years old and needed to be replaced. The original manufacturer — Ludowici Roof Tile Co. of New Lexington, Ohio, a 120-year-old company with roots in Renaissance Rome and still in business — had the original plans for the depot and produced 14,600 new tiles to the original specifications.
Following the meeting, please plan to socialize over lunch at Clara’s Lansing Station, another of Lansing’s historic railway stations, at 637 East Michigan.
If you would like to arrange car-sharing to the meeting, please reply to this email. We will put you in touch with others in your area.
Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers
REO Town , located just south of Downtown Lansing, is at the core of Lansing’s automotive history and is one of Lansing’s revitalized gems. The commercial corridor and three neighborhoods of Moore’s Park, Fabulous Acres and River Point make up Reo Town. These distinct neighbors surround the former R. E. Olds Motor plant which was the backbone of Capital region labor in the early 1900’s.