Akron Union Station


Akron Union Station was a series of three union stations serving several passenger railroads in Akron, Ohio from 1852 to 1971. The station's tenants included the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad and Erie Railroad. It was a hub, serving train companies serving destinations in different directions, west, north, south and east.

First station

The original station was constructed by the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad in 1852. The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad moved their passenger service from a station near the modern Quaker Square to this station in 1864. The at-grade station was replaced in 1891 when a grade-separation project was completed through downtown Akron.

Second station

The second station building at 245 East Market Street was completed and in operation in 1891. The Akron Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad opened in the same year, directly connecting Akron to Lodi and Chicago. Upon opening to passengers, service was provided by the B&O, the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railroad, the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad under lease of the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad. The latter company later merged into the B&O, completing the main line from Pittsburgh to Chicago. The services of the Valley Railway were brought to the depot after a similar merge with the B&O. In 1899, the CA&C was returned to Pennsylvania Company control. The company merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1919. The NYP&O was a part of the Erie Railroad by 1900. The station was closed in 1950 and it was demolished in 1951.

Passenger services

Representative services in 1946 featured these trains:
  • Baltimore & Ohio
  • *Ambassador
  • *Blue Ridge Limited
  • *Capitol Limited
  • *Cleveland Night Express
  • *Shenandoah
  • *unnamed Cleveland - Akron - Wheeling service
  • Erie Railroad
  • *Atlantic Express/Pacific Express
  • *Erie Limited
  • *Midlander
  • Pennsylvania Railroad
  • *Akronite
  • *Clevelander
  • *Gotham Limited/Golden Triangle
  • *unnamed Cleveland - Akron - Columbus - Cincinnati service, unnamed Cleveland - Akron local service

    Third station and final years

The third station, Akron Union Depot, reflecting the shift of location, was opened in 1950 and was located five blocks away, on the east side of the tracks, at 220 Wolf Ledges Parkway. The Erie Railroad split away in 1949, moving to a separate station on the adjacent Broadway Street. By the 1950s the Pennsylvania Railroad eliminated the Columbus to Cleveland trains, and Union Station was served by an Akron to Hudson taxi shuttle. The station was closed in 1971, as the last trains being the B&O's Capitol Limited and a shortened Akron-Washington Shenandoah day train. The Capitol Limited would be subsequently rerouted with the assumption of passenger services by Amtrak. Akron briefly saw train service in the 1990s with the arrival of the rerouting of the ''Broadway Limited and the Three Rivers.''

Disposition today

The 1950 station is currently used by the University of Akron as its Buckingham Center for Continuing Education. The depot was scheduled for demolition in 2010 as part of a new law school to be built by the university, but plans were scrapped due to local backlash. As a result, a new expansion and renovation was instead added to the C. Blake McDowell Law Center, across the street from Buckingham. Buckingham has been internally renovated as of March 2020.