Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Depot - Lubbock, TX - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com

"For more than 20 years the depot served as the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Company's passenger and freight station in Lubbock. The needs of the railroad and city were changing largely due to significant increases in automobile and truck use. The October 1950 discontinuation of passenger service to Childress for connections with the main line reflected the decreasing need for railroads to provide passenger service. Shortly after, because of significant increases in vehicular traffic the State Highway Department opened 19th Street through the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Company yards as part of a highway improvement project. The Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Company abandoned this Lubbock depot in 1953. The railway company then purchased land to the southeast, at 34th and Avenue A, in the industrial section of the city and built a new freight depot in 1954. The location was indicative of the railroad's changing role in an era when automobiles replaced trains for personal transportation, and trucks took over less-than-carload and express shipments.

Following its closure, the depot served as a warehouse for various businesses, then as a salvage yard, and gradually deteriorated. Ronald E. Thompson of Thompson Enterprises purchased the building in November 1973 for $64,500. As one of the first examples of adaptive use in the city, Thompson renovated the building into a restaurant and beer garden, retaining most of the distinctive exterior and interior details, with only one major structural addition to the rear. The Depot Restaurant opened on June 14, 1976, and continues its success as a meeting place and eating establishment."