The Boise Depot is a former train station in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. Opened 99 years ago in 1925, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). At an elevation of 2,753 feet (839 m) above sea level on the rim of the first bench, the depot overlooks Capitol Boulevard and the Idaho State Capitol, one mile (1.6 km) to the northeast.
Boise Depot | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Former Amtrak & Union Pacific inter-city rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 View from northeast in 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 2603 West Eastover Terrace Boise, Idaho[1] United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | City of Boise | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | None | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | BOI (Amtrak) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | April 16, 1925[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | May 1997 (for passenger rail service) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1993 (renovation) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Former services | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Union Pacific Mainline Depot | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°36′07″N 116°12′53″W / 43.602°N 116.2147°W | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 8.7 acres (3.5 ha) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Built | 1925 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Architect | Cherdron Construction Company, Carrere, Hastings, Shreve & Lamb | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 74000730[3][4] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | August 7, 1974 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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History
editThe depot was built in 1925 by the Union Pacific Railroad, and service by its Portland Rose began with service between Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon.[5] Thousands attended its debut with mainline service in mid-April,[6] including Union Pacific president Carl Gray, granted a key to the city by Mayor Eugene Sherman.[2][7]
The UP's City of Portland also Chicago to Portland, for several decades made stops in Boise.[8] Union Pacific discontinued the Portland Rose and the City of Portland (along with all its passenger rail service) on May 1, 1971, the day Amtrak began operating.[5][9][10][11]
Six years later, Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) resumed passenger service to the station in 1977 with the Pioneer,[12][13] Initially run between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle, Washington, it was later extended further east and provided daily service from Chicago to Seattle. The next eastbound stop on the Pioneer was originally in Mountain Home,[13] but that station was dropped in 1981,[14] so the next eastbound stop was Shoshone; the next westbound stop was Nampa.[13]
Forty-nine years after its debut, the Boise Depot was listed on the NRHP on August 7, 1974, as the Union Pacific Mainline Depot.[15] The last passenger train to use the depot was the Pioneer, which ended service 27 years ago in 1997.[11][16]
In 1990, Boise-based Morrison–Knudsen Corporation (MK) purchased the depot and renovated it to pristine condition. The City of Boise took it over in 1996 and opened it for tours and special events; it is open to the public Sundays and Mondays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Boise Depot - City of Boise
- ^ a b "Celebrate U.P reaching Boise". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). April 21, 1925. p. 6.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places: State Listing (Idaho)". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. American Dreams Inc. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ a b "Union Pacific Passenger Trains". www.up.com. Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ "Since 1925, the Boise Depot has stood above the City of Trees". KTVB. (Boise, Idaho). April 16, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "U.P. trail is direct to Utah". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). April 15, 1925. p. 8.
- ^ Union Pacific timetable, September 7, 1969, Table 20 http://streamlinermemories.info/UP/UP69-9TT.pdf
- ^ "Last court test fails to clear Amtrak rails". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 1, 1971. p. 1.
- ^ "Small crowd witnesses last train leave Boise". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. May 3, 1971. p. 5.
- ^ a b "History of Boise Depot" (PDF). cityofboise.org. City of Boise. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Tamera (June 7, 1977). "Amtrak Pioneer rolls into S.L." Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B1.
- ^ a b c Amtrak (June 22, 1977). "Amtrak National Train Timetables". timetables.org. Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 54. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ Amtrak (April 26, 1981). "Amtrak National Train Timetables". timetables.org. Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 44. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places - NPS Focus". United States National Park Service. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
- ^ Van Eyck, Zack (May 10, 1997). "A classic rides the rails one last time". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. A1.
External links
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