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Address: 300 Washington Avenue South
Neighborhood: Downtown West
Construction Date: 1897-99
Contractor: Unknown
Architect: Charles Frost
Architectural Style: Renaissance Revival
Historic Use: Industrial, commercial, transportation
Current Use: Mixed-Use Commercial
Date of Local Designation: 1979
Date of National Register Designation: 1978
Area(s) of Significance: Architecture, Commerce, Industry, Engineering
Period of Significance: 1800-1899
Historic Profile: In the second half of the 19th century, the expansion of railroads to Minneapolis solidified the city as an industrial and commercial center in the upper-Midwest. The Milwaukee Road Depot and Freight House located in the Mississippi Milling District remain lasting monuments to the importance of freight transportation during the early development of Minneapolis. The "head station," situated on the corner of Washington Avenue and Third Avenue acted as the end of the line for the Chicago, Milwaukee, Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad Company. Built between 1897 and 1899, the three-story Renaissance Revival building is detailed with arched doorways, a heavy cornice, and terra cotta wreath ornaments. A tower, originally rising 140 feet, was capped with an elaborate cupola, but was removed after extensive storm damage in 1941. The interior - with marble floors, detailed plaster walls, and carved wood ceilings – also indicates Renaissance influences. Extending behind the station is a long-span, steel truss-roofed train shed that stretches approximately 625 feet. While the last train left the depot in 1971, the train shed remains only one of twelve like it in the United States. In 1998, The City of Minneapolis sold the Depot. The new owners have successfully turned the Depot into a mixed use complex with hotels, an indoor water park, a seasonal ice-skating rink, a bar and restaurant, a banquet space, an interpretive history center, and an underground parking garage.
Photo Credits:
1900, Sweet, courtesy of The Minnesota Historical Society
2006, Minneapolis CPED
Works Cited:
"National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form," May 1978.
Updated: February 2007