Kent station (Erie Railroad)

Kent
Kent station in January 2023
General information
Location	152 Franklin Ave, Kent, Ohio
Coordinates	41°9′11″N 81°21′33″W / 41.15306°N 81.35917°W / 41.15306; -81.35917
Owned by	Atlantic and Great Western Railroad (1864–1880 ) New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad (1880–1905) Erie Railroad (1905–1960) Erie Lackawanna Railroad (1960–1975) Kent Historical Society (1975–present)
Line(s)	Main Line (Kent Division)
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	5711[1]
History
Opened	June 1, 1875; 149 years ago (June 1, 1875) (depot)
Closed	January 4, 1970; 54 years ago (January 4, 1970)
Rebuilt	1981
Electrified	Not electrified
Former services
Preceding station Erie Railroad Following station Tallmadge toward Chicago Main Line Ravenna toward Jersey City

Kent is a former station for the Erie Railroad in Kent, Ohio, on the Erie main line (Kent Division) between Chicago and Jersey City. Along the main line, the next station west towards Chicago’s Dearborn Station was Tallmadge, while east towards Jersey City’s Pavonia Terminal was Ravenna. The station was located 615.9 miles (991.2 km) from Pavonia Terminal and 382.6 miles (615.7 km) from Dearborn Station.^[2] The city of Kent was the headquarters of the Kent Division, with car shops and a large yard maintained just south of the station until 1930. About one mile (1.6 km) north of the station were the Erie Railroad's Breakneck Yards, which operated into the 1960s.

The station, located in Kent's downtown area overlooking the Cuyahoga River, dates to 1864, one year after the opening of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad through Kent in 1863, while the depot, described as being in the Tuscan Revival style, opened in 1875. Kent station consisted of two platform extending along the outside of each of the two tracks south from West Main Street to Stow Street. The depot was toward the northern end of the platforms on Franklin Avenue.

Kent station closed in 1970 and the depot was nearly demolished in the 1970s. Its potential demise was one of the main catalysts in establishing the Kent Historical Society in 1971, who purchased the depot in 1975 and later restored and renovated it for use as a restaurant and office space.