The Chicago and North Western Railway Depot was built by the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1914 at a cost of $38,000.[2] It is located at the west end of the business district in Redfield, South Dakota. The depot is a long rectangular red brick building with a slate roof in an uncommon Gothic Revival style.

Redfield
Former Chicago and North Western Railway passenger rail station
Redfield depot (2013)
General information
Location715 W 3rd Street, Redfield, South Dakota
Coordinates44°52′30″N 98°31′19″W / 44.87500°N 98.52194°W / 44.87500; -98.52194
History
OpenedOctober 23, 1914[1]
Closed1950s
Rebuilt2002–2005
Chicago and North Western Railway Depot
Redfield station is located in South Dakota
Redfield station
LocationUS 212
Redfield, South Dakota
Coordinates44°52′30″N 98°31′19″W / 44.87500°N 98.52194°W / 44.87500; -98.52194
BuiltOctober 23, 1914
ArchitectCharles Frost (Frost & Granger)
Architectural styleGothic Revival
NRHP reference No.80003732
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1980

The depot contains separate men's and women's waiting rooms, the agent's office which has ticket windows facing the entrance and an exterior bay window along the tracks, as well as a dining room, the kitchen, telegraph office and the freight office.

The Gothic Revival design of the depot emphasized the importance of the depot due to the rarity of Gothic Revival architecture for commercial buildings at the time. The first Chicago and Northwestern depot was built in 1891, ten years after the town had been named in honor of an auditor for the railroad. Redfield was an important subdivision point on the railroad and at times up to 250 residents of the town worked for the C&NW.

The depot was listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of the significance its architecture as an example of the work of Charles Frost of Frost and Granger of Chicago, the major architectural firm retained by the Chicago and North Western Railway. It is also important as an example of the Gothic Revival architecture and its association with the development of Redfield.

Passenger service to the depot ended in the 1950s and renovations to the depot took place in the early 2000s. Today, the depot serves as a museum and visitor center.

Preceding station Chicago and North Western Railway Following station
Zell
toward Blunt
Blunt-Winthrop Frankfort
toward Winthrop

References

edit
  • Reis, Michael. Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot at Redfield National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, National Park Service, Washington, DC, 1980.
  1. ^ "Redfield's Fascinating Witness To History: The C&NW Railroad Depot". November 15, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "Historic 1914 Chicago North Western Depot". Retrieved October 11, 2022.