Dearborn Station is one of the oldest metropolitan railroad stations in the United States. It is one of the few examples of a major urban terminal to survive until the present day. The Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1981. The Station represents an important architectural style, the Romanesque Revival, frequently used for major public buildings in the mid-nineteenth century. It is also architecturally significant in that it represents the work of a major American architect, Cyrus Eidlitz of New York. Dearborn Station is historically significant in that it represents the era of growth and prosperity of the American railroads. The Station also played an important role in the development of Chicago’s South Loop. Prior to construction of the Station, the area contained many small residential structures. Proximity to Dearborn Station encouraged the development of the commercial printing district on Printers’ Row in the years following the Chicago Fire. Dearborn Station, with its massive brick tower, has always provided a visual focus for the South Loop and a visual termination for Dearborn Street. In recent years, it has also served as important element of the Dearborn Park development. Dearborn Station was closed to public use in 1971, and its train shed was demolished in 1976. After more than a decade of underuse or vacancy, the landmark structure will be restored and revitalized through new ownership. Oppmann/McLaughlin/Conner, a Cleveland and San Francisco real estate development partnership, has recently arranged to purchase the Station from Citicorp Savings. A complete renovation took place in 1985.