Community Research

Train Depots have long been an integral part of a community's identity across much of America. In today's society where the railroad is less active many communities are left with an abandoned depot.

Typical Scope of Work to Revitalize Depots

• Exterior building restoration and adaptive reuse

• Interior building preservation and restoration
• Identifying needed structural repairs
• Configuring new mechanical systems
• Specifying exterior and interior lighting, woodwork, and hardware

• Designing ADA accessible ramps

• Selecting landscape and hardscape elements
• Designing a new parking area and site drainage

Case Studies
Oliver Springs

Many communities such as Oliver Springs are faced with uncertainty and have chosen to attract businesses and citizens by cleaning up and making their community inviting to investors. The revitalization of depots is a common theme in many communities. The depots often become landmarks and are placed on the national register of Historic Places.

Depots across America tend to have similarities in visual aesthetics. The Depots are typically small-frame railroad structures built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They have elements of both the stick style and shingle style. Often the buildings are single story structures with a single gable roof and broad overhangs which return on the gable ends. Another common style was brick Victorian era style because this style of architecture coincided with the height of train travel. The depot shown in Figure 4 illustrates this style

References:

www.bauerlatozastudio.com/Wyoming.htm

www.oshistorical.com/depot.htm

Figure 1: Former Joplin, Mo. train depot now serves as a brew pub

Figure 2: Old L & N Depot

Figure 3: Southern Railway Depot in downtown Oliver Springs

Figure 4: Muskegon Union Depot in Muskegon County, Michigan

Union Station, Portland, Oregon

Over 100 years ago, the grand new union station in Portland, Oregon opened its doors to the public. Three railroads entered the city, the Northern Pacific, the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, and the Oregon & California.

The station site was once a lake, and subject to flooding by the Willamette River. More than 5300 wood pilings were driven into the marshy ground to support the structure. Architects from the Kansas firm of Van Brunt & Howe prepared plans for a large red brick station which featured a prominent, slender clock tower (Figure 5). Six tracks served the station, and a roundhouse for locomotives was built nearby. Portland continued to grow, and the station was expanded several times.The present brick interlocking tower was completed in 1914, replacing a wooden structure. This interlocking is the sole remaining active tower in the Northwest.

A major remodeling of the station occurred in 1927-1930. This gave the station its present lavish classical marble interior, which remains today very well maintained.

Portland is fortunate that it's grand Union Station has remained, and is still home to Amtrak services. Forward thinking by the city of Portland has preserved it's railroad station gateway, and today the site is the centerpiece for the North Downtown redevelopment effort.

These preservations projects demonstrate the ability for a city to revitalize the communities cultural center. Historical preservation and revitalization are important aspects to consider when redesigning a developed area. Incorporating historical buildings with modern uses can have a positive impact on the social, political, and economical issues that surround the community.

Figure 5: Union Station and view of the tower

Pennsylvania Station

New York City

The Pennsylvania Station Project, located in downtown New York City, is a prime example of adapting an existing structure for an alternative use. The revived railroad station will accommodate travelers, tourists, and businessmen in the heart of the Big Apple

The old Pennsylvania Station in New York City was torn down in 1963, an act that led to increased awareness of New York's architectural treasures.

The $484 million Penn Station Redevelopment Project will transform the James A. Farley Post Office into the new Penn Station. The new station will have an architecture that will hark back to the original station and reflect New York much more than the existing Penn Station.

The post office, a sturdy neoclassical landmark rimmed by 20 Corinthian columns, was built in 1914 as a sister building to the original Penn Station, a similar gem that was demolished in 1963 to make room for Madison Square Garden. The airy redesign is intended to evoke the old station but with modern twists, including elegantly curved trusses, huge skylights and about 50,000 square feet of retail space.

The most prominent feature will be a glass and steel frame rising 75 feet above the roof line, crowning an enormous atrium below. Overall, the project will occupy about one-third of the eight-acre post office, increasing Penn Station's passenger capacity by 30 percent.

Figure 6: Night rendering of the redesigned Pennsylvania Station and Post Office. The new design incorporates elements from the old station with modern structures and venues

Figure 7: Interior and exterior renderings of the old Penn Station in 1958. The lobby area was constructed using an iron and glass modular system, while the exterior was composed of concrete and granite

Figure 8:

San Juan Capistrano Depot

Completed in 1894, the Capistrano Depot became a cornerstone for the San Juan Capistrano community. At the time, the depot was the key to a prosperous local economy.  Today, the depot has been renovated and adapted for use as a restaurant, while still supporting the local train route.

Sarducci's, Capistrano Depot Restaurant, which occupies the depot today, offers an authentic dining experience in this historic building. This use is an opportunity for many of the historic depots in Idaho.

http://www.sanjuancapistrano.net/depot

Figure 11:

Figure 12:

Figure 13:

Sante Fe Freight Station

Constructed in 1938 as one of the improvements to the Fort Worth Union Depot, this depot housed inbound and outbound freight, cold storage, and offices. Currently, the building has been restored and converted into the Fort Worth Rail Market.

The Rail Market is Fort Worth's Public Market featuring 20 merchants, a public meeting room and demonstration kitchen, as well as studio office suites. A restaurant with 5,000 square feet of space is scheduled to open soon on the second floor.

The above program could be adapted for use in Sandpoint's downtown redevelopment plan. Much of the local economy relies on agriculture, tourism, and arts and crafts. A farmer's market linked to the railway depot would be a positive addition to the community, as well as a link to its historic past.

www.fortwortharchitecture.com/santafe.htm

Figure 9:

Figure 10:

Erie Depot

Historic train depots can become community icons and often are a main ingredient in their urban fabric. Preservation and restoration are keys to maintaining the historic heritage of a monument such as this. The integrity of a historic building will determine whether it is in need of restoration or merely preservation.

Restoration accurately restores a form to its original state by removing added work or replacing missing work. Preservation, on the other hand, requires a diverse team of specialists working together to sustain an existing form and to keep it from injury and further destruction.

Some of the ways that historic depots have been preserved in the past have been through the integration of adaptive uses, limited pedestrian access and additional structural reinforcement in locations of increased stress. The following are examples of adaptive use historic depots.

meeting space. It is currently operated by the White Pine Historic Railroad Foundation.

The Erie Depot (Figure 1), built in Jervis, NY in 1906, originally housed both a passenger yard and a freight yard. Today, it is used for excursion runs, a commuter yard, diesel refueling, small businesses and a museum. It is currently run by the Depot Preservation Society.

Another case study for an adaptive use train depot is the East Ely Railroad Depot Museum. It was built in 1907 in Ely, Nevada. It housed the administration office and was Nevada's last operating short line railroad. Today it runs excursion

train and houses a museum. The freight barn is used as an exhibit hall.

The final case study is a proposed one. The Noxen Train Depot was built in 1893. It carried coal along the Lehigh Valley and was once a part of a massive timber, ice and tanning industry. Currently the North Branch Land Trust is working to rehabilitate the depot. They would like to see it house a small museum, meeting space and convention center.

Figure 3: Noxen Train Depot, 1893

(www.northbranchlandtrust.org)

Figure 14: Erie Depot, 1906 Port Jervis, NY (www.minisink.org)

Figure 2: East Ely Depot, NV 1907 Jim Bryant