Green Bay station (Milwaukee Road)

The Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was built in 1898 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as The Milwaukee Road) to serve the businesses and residences in Green Bay on the east bank of the Fox River. Two other depots from competing railroads were built on the west bank, including the Green Bay station (Chicago and North Western Railway).

Green Bay
Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station
Green Bay station in July 2012.
General information
Location400 South Washington Street, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54301
History
Opened1898
Services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Oakland Avenue
towards Ontonagon
Ontonagon – Milwaukee Wiswell
towards Milwaukee
Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot
Green Bay station (Milwaukee Road) is located in Wisconsin
Green Bay station (Milwaukee Road)
Location400 S. Washington St.
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Coordinates44°30′37″N 88°01′08″W / 44.51028°N 88.01889°W / 44.51028; -88.01889
Built1898
ArchitectCharles S. Frost
Architectural styleFlemish Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.96000906
Added to NRHPAugust 16, 1996

History

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The depot is a waypoint on the Packers Heritage Trail. It was built primarily of brick and stone in the Flemish Renaissance Revival style by Charles Sumner Frost of Chicago, Illinois. The architecture is unusual in that most depots of that time were built in the Craftsman or Romanesque styles. The depot is a rectangular, single story building with a passenger waiting area on one end and a freight room at the other.

The depot served Green Bay until 1957, when it was donated by the railroad to the city of Green Bay. (The Milwaukee Road built another passenger depot nearer its rail yards to serve passengers.) The city then leased the old depot to the Chamber of Commerce, then sold it outright in 1986. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of its association with railroad and commercial development of Green Bay and also because of its distinctive architecture.

In 2011, Green-based company Breakthrough Fuel renovated the station to serve as its corporate headquarters. The company received the Green Bay Beautification Award[1] for the renovation later that year.

The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation acquired and improved the station following Breakthrough Fuel's move to Green Bay's Titletown District. The foundation reopened the station to the public on June 21, 2022, where it now serves as a resource for nonprofit organizations, donors and community leaders to find resources the strengthen community.

References

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  • Rucker, Della G. Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot (Brown County, Wisconsin). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service, Washington D.C. 1996.