|
 Take
a trip back in
time. One hundred
years ago, visitors
entered South
Station through
a 90-foot wide
thoroughfare,
the walls lined
with polished
Stony Creek granite.
The ticket office,
which was located
between the midway
and waiting room
offered 27 ticket
windows - eleven
on the midway,
the rest opening
to the grand waiting
room. On the left
with the ticket
windows were telegraph,
telephones and
bathrooms. Offices
and baggage areas
lined the right.
Passing through
the midway to
the grand waiting
room, passengers
entered a huge
hall accommodating
upwards
of 1500 travelers.
The expansive
floor, 225 feet
long and 65 feet
wide was decorated
with a “large
and handsome”
pattern of marble
mosaic The walls,
a combination
of polished granite,
enameled brick
and plaster held
the names of every
county in Massachusetts.
A welcoming place to await your excursion, light streamed in from large arched windows on Summer Street. At night, the inner sanctum was illuminated by 1200 incandescent lights strategically placed along the walls and coffered ceilings.
You could sit on hardy, oak settees, placed to form quiet alcoves, or you could stroll along the ornamental kiosks in the center of the room and peruse the confections and flowers displayed for your approval.
Designed as a place of comfort, one corner of the waiting room was designated the Women’s Waiting Room. In this 34-by-44 foot space, women could relax in rocking chairs, lounges, or sit at tables and chairs. Cribs and cradles were there to make traveling with the little ones a bit easier.
And there were surprisingly modern conveniences available for the sojourner. Forty-five bathrooms offered toilets that automatically flushed based on seat movement. And, their use was free of charge!
If you found yourself without your umbrella, such emergency articles were available for sale inside a case in the women’s waiting room. There was also the shoe-cleaning and polishing chair for those last minute grooming needs.
 A private telephone exchange was set up just for the use of the terminal and there were ample bike racks and check racks at every turn. Retail space was set aside so daily papers, fruit, tobacco and “drinkables” could be purchased while waiting for your train to be called.
But the conveniences were not just for the passengers. Employees of the railroad were well treated. There were separate ticket booths for each man, apartments for the car inspectors, dressing rooms for porters and gatemen. There was a special check system for the trainmen's coats and hats - no mere lockers for them! You would also find other necessities - a blacksmith, carpenter, mail chute and sorting room, speaking tubes and conveniences for newspaper handling, all helping the employees to work efficiently.
From the grand waiting room passengers could access a lunch room - decorated in the same style as the grand waiting room - with 200 stools and counters made from Tennessee marble and mahogany. Upstairs, on the second floor were three large dining rooms, a kitchen and additional serving rooms to accommodate private parties or a grand reception.
And when folks exited the building a century ago to the street or subway, they'd walk on well-lit sidewalks drawing power from the electric plant located right on the property. Looking back they could see the main entrance - much as it appears today.
This article originally appeared in the April 1999 edition of South Station’s STATION BREAK newsletter
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