- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train Shed
-
Coordinates: 44°58′47″N 93°15′44″W / 44.97972°N 93.26222°W
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot, Freight House and Train Shed
The Milwaukee Road depot in downtown Minneapolis as seen from Washington Avenue.Location: 201 3rd Ave., S.
Minneapolis, MinnesotaBuilt: 1899 Architect: Charles S. Frost Architectural style: Renaissance Revival, Italianate Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 78001542 [1] Added to NRHP: November 28, 1978 The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train Shed (commonly referred to as the Milwaukee Road Depot), now officially named The Depot, is a historic railroad depot in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad had a long history in the Minneapolis area, beginning in 1865 when a predecessor railroad, the Minnesota Central, built a line from Mendota to Minneapolis. The Minnesota Central also built a line from Mendota to St. Paul in that early era. Eventually, rail lines connected Minneapolis and St. Paul with Milwaukee, Wisconsin via Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.[2]
Italianate passenger station
The freight house and the first depot were built in 1879 with an Italianate architectural style.[3] The first depot was razed after a new facility, with Renaissance Revival architecture, was built in 1899.[4][2] Originally, the facility's most distinguishing feature, the clock tower, was pinnacled and modeled after the Giralda in Seville, Spain; high winds destroyed the pinnacle in 1941 and the tower has since had a flat top.[5]
The freight house served a large percentage of less-than-carload freight arriving and departing from the Minneapolis area. Passenger traffic was also significant. In 1916, 15 passenger trains per day used the depot, including the flagship Hiawatha. Rail yard facilities just south of downtown, on Hiawatha Avenue north of Lake Street, serviced the trains.[2] By 1920, the peak of activity, 29 trains per day used the depot.[4]
As passenger rail traffic decreased across the nation and freight facilities were consolidated elsewhere, the Minneapolis depot steadily lost traffic. The depot was closed in 1971 and stood vacant for many years as various redevelopment and reuse plans fizzled.[5] In 1978, the depot and freight house were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1998, CSM Corporation began a project to reuse the depot, including a Renaissance Hotel and Residence Inn by Marriott, an indoor water park, and an enclosed outdoor ice skating rink located in the former trainshed. The project was completed in 2001.[4]
Other train depots in the Twin Cities
- Midway (Amtrak station) - The current passenger station serving the Twin Cities
- Saint Paul Union Depot - Former St. Paul passenger train destination
- Chicago Great Western Railway Station on South Washington Avenue
- Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Station on North 5th street
- Minneapolis Great Northern Depot - Former Minneapolis destination for Chicago and Northwestern, Great Northern, and Northern Pacific passenger trains
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2006-03-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b c Hofsommer, Don L. (2005). Minneapolis and the Age of Railways. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-4501-9.
- ^ Nord, Mary Ann (2003). The National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN 0-87351-448-3.
- ^ a b c "History of the Depot". http://www.thedepotminneapolis.com/newSite/history.asp.
- ^ a b Millett, Larry (2007). AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota Historical Society Press. pp. pg. 66. ISBN 0-87351-540-4.
External links
Former services Preceding station Rock Island Line Following station Terminus Minneapolis – Houston U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Railway depots in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Hotels in Minnesota
- Stations along Milwaukee Road lines
- Railway freight houses
- Railway stations opened in 1899
- Railway stations in Minnesota
- Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
- Towers in Minnesota
- Clock towers in the United States
- Charles Sumner Frost buildings
- Soo Line Railroad
- Stations along Rock Island lines
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
