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 Former Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway Freight Depot - Paducah, Kentucky Posted by:  iconions
N 37° 05.107 W 088° 35.717
16S E 358211 N 4105505
This two-and-one-half-story red brick building and former freight depot is located at 300 S. 3rd Street in Paducah, Kentucky.
Waymark Code: WMY725
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2018
Views: 2
This two-and-one-half-story red brick building and former freight depot is located at 300 S. 3rd Street. The building is now the home of the Paducah, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
he Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway Office and Freight House, simply known as the Paducah Freight House, is a historic railroad freight depot located in the southern portion of downtown Paducah, Kentucky.
In 1852 the first charter to build a railroad for Paducah was established. Lloyd Tilghman, representative of the New Orleans & Ohio Railroad, established the first seven miles of track for Paducah, connecting the town to Florence Station, Kentucky.
It was constructed in 1925 by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway in hopes of future connections with other railroads, such as the Big Four Railroad. As such, it was built larger than it needed to be, as those connections were never built. The station was usually used to transport fruits and vegetables that required refrigeration from trains to the private transportation of produce dealers. The Railway was absorbed into the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1957. In 1974 the L&N reduced their presence in Paducah and moved their workers to a different depot at 6th and Norton in Paducah. The Johnston-Backus Brokerage Company purchased the building in November 1976. In 1993 Johnston and Backus retired, selling it to Charles and Carolyn Simpson, who made it an antique mall.
The Freight House is a two-story brick structure with a limestone foundation. It has a Tudor look with its Palladian-type windows and parapeted dormers and end walls. Its different colored bricks detail the openings of the building.
The Paducah Railroad Museum is next door. It started on the second floor of the freight house, but once the freight house was sold the museum moved to Washington and 2nd streets.
- Paducah Freight House Wikipedia Entry
Located on the southwest corner of Third and Washington Streets in Paducah, Kentucky, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Freight office is a fine example of effective reuse of an old structure. The building presently houses the Johnston-Backus Brokerage Co.
This two-story brick freight house, constructed in 1925, is set on a limestone foundation. Parapet end walls and parapeted dormers give the main block of the structure a Tudor look. Palladian-type windows located in the dormers and gable end walls tend to accentuate these members.
The main decorative feature is the use of varied colored brick to set off the openings and details of the structure. On the north facade, regular double-hung sash windows are set in vertical rows, emphasized by vertical bands of brick. Even the dormers are given more attention by the use of different shades of brick.
The east side elevation has more fine brickwork detailing than does the north. Three-bay, each bay is set off by a rectangular panel of darker colored bricks. Diamond-shaped motifs grace the space between the windows. The door has a keystone motif with a multi-paned round arched window above it. Vertical brick patterns on either side of the door give the effect of a columned entranceway.
Presently used as a warehouse, the one-story end section has none of the detailing of the main block. The interior of the structure has been remodeled to accommodate office and warehouse space.
Located in a largely commercial area, the freight house is also in an historic area. Just two blocks away is the Paducah Market House District and the main business district. Only three blocks separate the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis freight house from the Ohio River.
- National Register Application
Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No
Is the station/depot open to the public?: No
If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?:
Used by the Paducah Chamber of Commerce for offices and meeting rooms
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway
Station/Depot Web Site: Not listed
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