Old Orlando Railroad Depot
Posted by: 
moochie
N 28° 32.422 W 081° 22.846
17R E 462750 N 3157123
The Old Orlando Railroad Depot is better known as "Church Street Station." This is the 3rd Depot built on this site. The 1st two were built of wood.
Waymark Code: WM3GJV
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/04/2008
Views: 93
By 1886, Henry Plant, railroad and hotel magnate, decided that it would be a good idea to control a railway from the east coast of Florida to the west coast. The majority of tourists were traveling straight down the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S. to the new resort cities of St. Augustine and Miami on Henry Flagler's trains. Plant wanted to continue developing Tampa as a resort to rival Flagler's and sought control of the railroad line through Orlando. To this end, he had this station, as well as others built along the line.
Construction of the Orlando Depot began in 1887 and continued for 2 years. The building was dedicated on January 14, 1890. The original owner was the South Florida Rail Company. The style is Queen Anne/Eclectic Victorian. 1920 modifications to the building had the slate roof replaced with a tin roof. The dormer windows were changed from an eyebrow shape to a gabled shape. In 1980, the building was restored. The original shaped eyebrow dormers were brought back as well as the original red, silver and gray slate roof.
The building was used as a passenger train depot from 1889-1926. From 1926-1972, it served as a ticket outlet and freight station. In 1972, the station was filled with retail shops and was part of the Church Street Station Entertainment Complex and was used as such until 2001. Since 2002, the building has stood empty.
This information was gathered from the website listed below.
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?:
This depot is has been empty since 2002. Previous to that, it was used for shops at Church Steet Station, an entertainment complex. Church Street is attempting a comeback, so maybe this building will once again serve the city of Orlando.
What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: South Florida Rail Company
Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]
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