Rensselaer Adventures

This blog reports events and interesting tidbits from Rensselaer, Indiana and the surrounding area.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A gray week (Updated)

Winter is hanging on this week--the temperatures have been around freezing and a mix of rain and snow comes and goes. It is definitely not the kind of weather that makes one want to go outside and do things.

 I forced myself to go out today and found that digging has commenced for the new train station. The last of the old station--its floor-- is now gone.
On the other end of town, the sign for the new Louck Family Medicine building is in place.
On the bright side, there are a lot of community events coming up in the next few weeks. My sidebar calendar no longer is empty or nearly empty, as it was during most of January into February.

Update (Thursday)
I was surprised to see that there was concrete structure under the old depot--it was not just sitting on a slab. Did it have an actual basement? The concrete beneath the surface was thick enough so that a machine with a jackhammer on it had to be brought in to break it up.
From the train platform one can see the results of a fire that damaged a Harris Homes duplex on Tuesday morning. The Rensselaer Republican wrote about in in their Wednesday edition.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You are correct regarding the new station. My company is involved in the construction of it. I was searching the internet for photos of the site and came upon your blog.

The new building itself is small (about 35' x 15'), but very nice. It will have a brick exterior and modern amenities, but with "old time train station" elements, like arched brackets "supporting" the roof soffit. Plus, the entire site will be improved.

It would be a shame if they didn't save any of the original red tile flooring from the old Monon Depot station built around 1915. Not sure if it was salvageable, but if so, they could've put a few pieces of it in a local museum.

I believe the skeleton structure should be up in about a month or so. Would enjoy seeing more photos of the site as the project moves along if you'll oblige. Most of the contractors/subcontractors involved (including us) are from outlying areas and don't see the site unless it's "our turn up to bat."

Thanks for sharing!

-CNS