Southern Railway Depot in Fort Payne, AL
Posted by: 
David
N 34° 26.662 W 085° 43.115
16S E 617719 N 3812172
Southern Railway Depot in Fort Payne, AL
Waymark Code: WM3PYD
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 05/02/2008
Views: 77
The Southern Railway Depot in Fort Payne, Alabama is an excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture with its turrets, arched windows, and heavy stone facade. It was built in 1891 and served as a passenger depot until 1970. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, as building number 71001070 and inspired several original oil paintings by local artists, most notably James Traylor in 1976.
Richardsonian Romanesque was the first definably American architecture and was popular from the 1870s to early 1900s. It is named for the American architect, Henry Hobson Richardson, and incorporates eleventh century southern French and Spanish Romanesque characteristics. Richardson was born in St. James Parish, Louisiana in 1838; graduated Harvard College in 1859; and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, the French national school of fine arts in Paris, founded in 1648.
This very free revival style eclipsed both the IInd Empire Baroque and the High Victorian Gothic styles and is characterized by massive stone walls and dramatic semi-circular arches over windows and porch entrances. Different textures and colors of masonry were usually combined on the same structure. Cylindrical towers with conical caps were frequently included in designs as well as bands of windows, recessed door openings, and short robust columns. Other well-known architects such as Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Eliel Saarinen were influenced by Richardsonian Romanesque. The Romanesque architecture was frequently used for train depots, churches, libraries, and other public buildings.
Other notable buildings of this architecture include:
- Pueblo Union Depot in Pueblo, Colorado
- Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Minneapolis City Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Livingston County Courthouse in Livingston County, Michigan
- Lee County Courthouse in Lee County, Texas
- Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts
- Lafayette Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, New York
- First Presbyterian Church in Detroit, Michigan
- Chamber of Commerce in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Marshall Field Store in Chicago, Illinois
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No
Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?:
The depot building currently houses the Fort Payne Depot Museum. It is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am until 4pm and Sunday from 2pm until 4pm. Many American Indian artifacts, 19th century farm and office equipment pieces, and period photographs are on display.
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Southern Railway
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
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