At right, the old oil house will soon be transformed into a new visitor’s center at the Machine Shop and Roundhouse complex. HERALD PHOTO/Becky Crum

Two projects are under way this summer as part of an effort to preserve the historical area at the Evanston railyards.

One of the projects is to restore the superintendent’s office and the shower house buildings that are located in the plaza between the Machine Shop and the Roundhouse. The other project is to transform the old oil house into a new visitor’s center.

Gary Cazin, chair of the Evanston Historic Preservation Commission, said the reason they want to preserve the superintendent’s office and shower house is because they have played a major part of the railyards’ history.

He said the superintendent’s office was where payroll and bookkeeping was done until the Roundhouse closed in 1971.

“They were important buildings and we want to preserve them to be used for breakout rooms during conferences and conventions. We’ll construct a platform for staging speakers and concerts and those sorts of things,” Cazin said.

Mieka Madrid said restoration of the superintendent/shower buildings is a community project that is being done by volunteers.

She said that means the city is not putting money into that project.

“There is no grant money at this point that is going into that project,” Madrid said. “We’ve had paint donated, some roofing work that is being donated and there is a group of youth that are going to help with some of the work.”





For the complete article see the 07-27-2010 issue.

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