The Pennsylvania Railroad Station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, also known as Baker Street Station, is a former passenger rail station in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. The American Craftsman-style station opened to the public March 23, 1914, at a cost of $550,000.^[3][4]

Quick Facts General information, Location ...

Fort Wayne, IN
Passengers board Amtrak's Broadway Limited at the station in 1974
General information
Location	221 Baker Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana USA
History
Opened	March 23, 1914
Closed	November 11, 1990[1]
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Warsaw toward Chicago Broadway Limited Lima toward New York Capitol Limited Lima toward Washington, D.C. Preceding station Pennsylvania Railroad Following station Arcola toward Chicago Main Line Maples toward New York or Exchange Place Huntertown toward Mackinaw City Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway Hoagland toward Richmond Preceding station Wabash Railroad Following station Roanoke toward St. Louis St. Louis – Detroit New Haven toward Detroit Terminus Fort Wayne – Toledo New Haven toward Toledo
Pennsylvania Railroad Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	221 West Baker Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Coordinates	41°4′20″N 85°8′26″W
Built	1914
Architect	George B. Swift & Co., William L. Price
Architectural style	American Craftsman
NRHP reference No.	98001056[2]
Added to NRHP	1998

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The station saw its most heavy usage during World War II, when about 3,000 visitors passed through the station daily.^[3] The station was also frequented by politicians on whistle stop train tours, including U.S. Presidents Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.^[3] Until 1957 a Grand Rapids originating branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad's Chicago-Florida Southland made a stop in at the station, and picked up passengers from a connecting Wabash Railroad train from Detroit, Michigan.^[5][6] Until 1961 the PRR's Cincinnati, Ohio-Mackinaw City, Michigan Northern Arrow also made a stop there, and picked up connecting passenger rail cars from Chicago.^[7] Until 1971 the Penn Central ran the Broadway Limited and several other Chicago-New York City passenger trains, Admiral, Manhattan Limited and Pennsylvania Limited through the station.^[8]

In the second half of the 20th century, the station served as a stop on Amtrak's Broadway Limited (Chicago—Pittsburgh—New York) and Capitol Limited (Chicago–Pittsburgh–Washington) lines until November 1990 when Amtrak was forced to reroute about 25 miles (40 km) north of Fort Wayne.^[9] The nearest active passenger train station is Waterloo (for the Capitol Limited), 32 miles to the north.

Today, Baker Street Station's concourse is used as a banquet hall and community events space,^[10] while the east and west wings have been converted into office space.^[3] Over the last decade, residents and local leaders have begun a movement to bring passenger rail service back to the city and station in the form of Amtrak or other high-speed rail service.^[11]

Although the station has been without passenger rail service for over 30 years, it has remained a landmark to the city, designated a Fort Wayne Local Historic District in 1990.^[12] and later, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as the Pennsylvania Railroad Station.^[2]