Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Traction Terminal

(Satellite, the office building fronted Illinois, and it used the whole block from Market to Ohio.)

It was an interurban depot from 1904-37 and a bus terminal from 1937-68. [1:11:24 video @ 6:31] Last interurban cars using it was in 1940-41 [11:40].

IndianaMemory-ca1915
"View of the Traction Terminal Building and shed full of interurban cars on the northwest corner of Illinois and Market Streets."

IndianaMemory
The building was demolished in 1972.

IndianaMemory-1921
View looking north from W. Market Street into the Traction Terminal Shed with nine tracks and multiple interurban cars. The Traction Terminal Building is to the right.
A 1911 view of the trainshed

safe_image for 1/3/2023...The Rise and Fall of the Indianapolis Traction Terminal (ITT) 1904-37 by Roger Robison MD
The latest program for the MONROE COUNTY HISTORY CLUB has now been uploaded to YouTube for those to view who were not able to attend the live program on Jan 3, 2023.  Roger Robison MD gives a presentation titled THE RISE & FALL OF THE INDIANAPOLIS TRACTION TERMINAL (ITT) 1904-37. And FDR VS SAM INSULL & WENDELL WILKIE.  The Indianapolis Traction Terminal was built by five Traction companies and was the world’s largest electric inter-urban center. Twelve lines merged into nine tracks entering the Terminal. In 1918 the ITT serviced 7.5 million passengers via 500 trains per day. Following the stock market crash of 1929 these Traction lines went bankrupt as did 90% of electric inter-urbans. Dr Robison describes in detail with words and images the rise and ultimate demise of this impactful transportation system.
[The talk begins at 6:00.]

IRM Strahorn Library posted

"Traction Terminal Building, Indianapolis, Ind."

Illinois Railway Museum Strahorn Library Postcard Collection.

The Strahorn Library houses thousands of books, tens of thousands of periodicals, and more than a hundred thousand photographs, all centering on the subject of trains and railroading and all held to support research and scholarship into the railroad history of the United States.

The Strahorn Library is at 118 E. Washington Street in Marengo, Illinois. It is normally open from 10AM to 2:30PM on Wednesdays, and visitors are welcome. For those unable to visit, we can provide access to our collections via telephone (815-568-1060), e-mail (strahorn@irm.org), or online catalog (librarycat.org/lib/IRMStrahornLibrary).

All materials are available for non-commercial purposes and according to the “fair use” provision of the U.S. Copyright Law, which permits the use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

1:11:24 video @ 12:26

Five companies ran 12 lines into Indy.

@ 17:38

@ 22:18

I quit watching the video around 41 minutes.

During its bus station days.

Photo courtesy Indiana Historical Society, Bass Photo Collection via HistoricIndianapolis

Two photos from many in the IndyStar.

a
Sectional view of the traction freight terminal at Ohio and Capitol Avenue. Nov 30, 1925. Indinaapolis News photo  INDIANAPOLIS NEWS PHOTO

This is another example of demolition with a clamshell bucket.

b
The Traction Terminal Building was demolished in April 1972. Once home to interurban offices, a barbershop, various professional offices a drug store and the like, it eventually came into disrepair.  BOE DOEPPERS/THE NEWS