The merger of several railroads, including the Northern Pacific, into the
Burlington Northern on March 2, 1970 came about slightly more than a year before the creation of AMTRAK, on May 1, 1971. At that time (1971) AMTRAK took over passenger service and today this is the only station in Idaho at which AMTRAK trains stop. As well, it is the
last passenger depot of the former Northern Pacific Railway still being used for passenger traffic.
Though the station is in poor repair, it is understood that plans are afoot for its restoration. This is to include restoration and renovation of the waiting room for AMTRAK traffic.
The Sandpoint station differs from the rather routine designs assigned to scores of other small towns along Idaho's railway
lines. Rather than merely fulfilling a formula, it was designed to have a distinctive character of its own. It is the state's only Gothic style railway station. Its local significance derives from the fact that the Northern Pacific Railroad was the principal developer of the town, even giving it its name "Sandpoint," because this was the point on the N.P. mainline where sand was collected for use on the entire system. The present depot dates from the period of Sandpoint*s greatest expansion and building boom. The Sandpoint depot has unusual historic significance at present in that it is the only depot in the state of Idaho being used for passenger traffic. All others in the state have been discontinued since the advent of AMTRAK.
The Sandpoint, Idaho, Burlington Northern Railroad station is a one-story brick structure with Tudpr gothic ornament and
forms. It is composed of three principal volumes, the central one with brick gables at the ends of the principal roof form
and the intersecting dormers. Each gable is accented by pointed arched windows and topped with stone finials in the form of
spheres. An effect of asymmetry derives from having the dormers off center and the chimney in this same grouping on the skyline.
The bay window which projects on the platform side of thiscentral block is also picturesquely off center. It is one story high, topped with crenellations capped with stone. Doors into the main waiting room have windows with flattened Tudor
arches.
The two lower volumes, on either end of the central one just described, have hipped roofs. The baggage room on the north
end of the building is smaller than the south end, which contains the rest rooms and ends in a large open porch for parking
v. baggage and mail carts. This porch is bracketed in wood to give the openings a Tudor arch.
From the Idaho Historical Society