Medford Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Depot - Medford, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 42° 19.655 W 122° 52.477
10T E 510330 N 4686156
Best preserved historic railroad depot in Southern Oregon, built in 1910
Waymark Code: WMG2VV
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/05/2013
Views: 2
The 1910 Southern Pacific Railroad depot, designed by an unknown architect, is the best preserved historic railroad depot in Southern Oregon. The brick building is 126 feet long by 48 feet wide and provided a passenger lobby, ticket counter, boiler room and freight room.
According to the NRHP nomination form: "Medford's first depot of wood frame construction was opened south of the present location in 1884. It was replaced by another frame building in 1900. The ultimate station, the nominated property, responded to the city's importance as a central shipping point for the new fruit packing industry which arose in the Rogue River Valley. From 1908 onward, the Southern Pacific Railroad took part, along with the industry, in promoting Medford and its environs to tourists, settlers and investors. Proponents point out that Medford was for a time the second largest rail point in the state after Portland. The town campaigned for a new depot befitting this status, and the company complied."
In 1883, the builders of the Oregon-California rail line extended the line south from the Willamette Valley, reaching Grants Pass. The gold rush town of Jacksonville was the next population center to the south but the builders elected to place a depot five miles east in the center of the Rogue Valley, a more cost efficient route. As a result, Medford became a prominent rail center and Jacksonville dwindled in size and importance, ultimately losing its status as county seat to Medford.
After being listed to the National Register in 1996, a certified rehabilitation program resulted in the conversion of the depot building into a restaurant and micro-brew pub, currently "Porter's Restaurant and Bar."
