Moser, Emily. “H.H. Richardson’s Last Station – New London Union Station.” I Ride The Harlem Line… October 28, 2014. Accessed November 5, 2018. http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2014/09/26/h-h-richardsons-last-station-new-london-union-station/.
Times Change: The raised pedestrian footbridge
Though today’s Union Station looks remarkably similar to the 1887 original, some things have changed—namely the raised pedestrian footbridge, shown in this photograph, which was built in 1912 to aid passengers in crossing the tracks to the platform on the waterfront side. As money became tight for the New Haven Railroad in the early 1900s, station repairs and infrastructure maintenance were the first areas to lose funding. Shortly thereafter, the footbridge was in dire need of repair. Upon learning that the demolition of the footbridge would cost only around $1,250, the New Haven Railroad petitioned the Public Utilities Commission in 1953 for permission to tear it town. This request was denied, and the railroad attempted once more in 1961, when the Commission finally agreed, and the bridge was torn down. A study conducted by the railroad found that around five times more people crossed the tracks using the street level crosswalk than the pedestrian bridge, and that most people who did access the bridge were using it to gain a better view of the downtown harbor. This clipping shows a pair of newlyweds posing in front of the footbridge in 1944, before boarding a train to New York City.
New London Landmarks
Through this historic photograph of two women sitting in the station’s waiting room, we see a glimpse into both the internal structures and decor of Union Station in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The exterior of the station remains largely the same as depicted here, though the surrounding landscape has changed greatly in the years since these postcards were made. In the place of the quaint building to the left of the station now lies a large, concrete parking structure. Taxi Cabs and Ubers now line the same street in front of the station that horse-drawn carriages once did, eagerly awaiting rail passengers.
Union Station at 100: An Unqualified Success Story
Despite the residents of New London's initial disapproval of the station, on the grounds that it blocked the downtown view of the water, and their following protests of the renovation years later, Richardson's Union Station proudly celebrated 100 years of existence in 1988. The efforts of local activists led by Claire Dale, shown here in 1963, resulted in the inclusion of Union Station on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1971. Because of New London preservationists, today the city claims one of the oldest operating train stations along the Northeast Corridor.
These glimpses into the past were periodically published in the New London Day Newspaper, as a reminder of this city’s rich historical background and an ever-present Union Station throughout. While little has changed in its outward appearance over time, the flagpole visible in front of the station and the footbridge behind it no longer exist. The photograph showing presidential candidate Wendell Willkie speaking in front of Union Station, and the photograph of troops preparing to board a train on the platform, connect New London’s history to the history of the nation.
New York New Haven & Hartford Railroad Agent Stub to New London, Connecticut