Saving the Historic Depot…

The Historic Depot was literally hours away from being destroyed when it was acquired by the MUPDPS in 2015. One of only eight depots designed by world renowned architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood it was the “crown jewel” of Marysville when it opened as a passenger depot in 1929. After passenger train travel was stopped in 1955 it served as offices for the Trainmaster, Station Agent, Telegraph Operators and Dispatchers. As communications advanced and purposes for the Depot changed it became the yard office in the 1970s. The interior was rearranged to allow for more offices, the beautiful windows were shuttered and carpet was installed on the historic slate floors. As the Union Pacific prepared to sell it to the city it was obligated to remove all the asbestos and lead paint from the structure. Upon transfer it had no lights, heat or air conditioning. It was insured as an abandoned warehouse, however, thanks to the incredible work of a handfull of dedicated volunteers the Historic Depot has been transformed back to its original beauty. The team of volunteers has spent endless hours scraping paint, plastering and painting the 25’ ceilings, cleaning the glue off the magnificent slate floors and replacing the signature windows. It now awaits your visit.