Old Greyhound Bus Station
This building resembles art deco styling but is more accurately art deco’s stylistic cousin, art moderne. Both exemplified a new, modern era with smooth walls and rounded details.
Art deco, however, emphasized horizontal use of space while art moderne is more vertical. The building’s curved walls and round windows are indicative of 1930s architecture.
Completed in 1939, the building opened as a bus terminal. Unlike train depots which were set away from town because of their noise and safety concerns, bus terminals found a downtown location to be most convenient for passengers and an effective method of advertising. The Greyhound Bus Company preferred streamlined forms to remind people of its modernity.
Like most buildings in downtown Hammond, the building served as several businesses since being completed. The building underwent an expansion in the 1970s and is now a pharmacy. Its large parking lots recall its original function as a stop for people traveling across the country.
