The Keokuk Union Depot Foundation is showing off the newly restored depot that graces the city’s riverfront.
The organization held an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 9. The interior and exterior of the depot’s large waiting room have been restored to what they looked like when the building opened in 1891.
“It’s historically significant, and because it has the John Root signature on it, it’s also architecturally significant,” said Janet Smith, President of the Foundation.
Root was a partner in the renowned Chicago-based architectural firm Burnham and Root.
The Keokuk building was used as a passenger depot until 1967. Foundation members have heard from many people who passed through it during their travels.
“A lot of people have fond memories of just going to Chicago or St. Louis. Or meeting the freight trains to pick up the rabbits that they ordered or the guinea pigs that they ordered or the fish that they ordered. Or delivering the milk to go elsewhere,” Smith said.
She said they have also heard stories from people who boarded a train at the depot on their way to serve during World War II or the Vietnam War.
The depot is right along the Mississippi River, which was a concern when supporters started the restoration project.
“But then we learned that although the water has gotten close, it has never gotten to the depot,” Smith said.
The restored waiting room features 35-foot high cathedral ceilings. Chandeliers hang from the ceilings. Smith said the floor is amazing – they found marble tile from the Tennessee quarry that produced the depot’s original tile and were able to recreate it with the original design.
Two-thirds of the exterior masonry is completed. Smith said they’ve removed 130 years of dust and grime from the bricks, and replaced every single piece of the waist-high sandstone around the building.
She said visitors can compare the unrestored portion of the building to the renovated section to get a feel for the incredible amount of work that’s been done.
Smith called the depot a grand building that’s worth saving.
Neal Vogel concurred.
“It really is a space with a lot of soul, and we just keep making improvements all the time,” said Vogel, owner of Restoric, LLC, which does restoration consulting and contracting on historic properties.
He especially likes the canopy on the depot’s platform.
“Knowing that it’s the last train shed of that style – the turtleback train shed – in the United States that we’re aware of. We’ve been looking for a number of years and cannot find another one that’s still standing,” Vogel said.
His company is based in Indiana, but Vogel was born and raised in Keokuk.
He can remember what the building looked like in the 1980s.
“The depot was kind of an eyesore at that time, and it was always in my mind what it could be some day restored because I knew what it looked like historically. And it’s really a matter of pride to be able to work on it,” Vogel said.
He said there’s a long-term vision to make the city’s riverfront more attractive, and he thinks the depot is the perfect building to rally around.
Like Smith, Vogel said it’s an architecturally significant structure because of its connection to Burnham and Root.
“Many historians that study the firm feel this is – if not their very best – one of their very best stations,” he said.
A restoration project many years in the making
Janet Smith said the Foundation got started in 2012, and they’ve accomplished numerous goals since then:
- 2014 – The Historic Structure Report was completed
- 2015 – Restoration of the eaves and brackets was completed
- 2016 – The chimney restoration was completed
- 2018 – The roof restoration was completed
- 2022 – The trackside canopy restoration was completed
- 2024 – The central tower exterior masonry restoration was completed in May; the waiting room exterior masonry restoration was completed in July, the window and door restoration project was partially completed
Smith said the restoration work has cost about $2.5 million so far.
Significant funding came through challenge grants from the Wisconsin-based Jeffris Family Foundation, which helps non-profits restore historic sites in eight states, including Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. The community and other supporters donated a lot of money to meet those challenge grants.
Smith said funding has also come from the State Historical Society of Iowa, the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Howard Jackson Family Trust Foundation, the Grace Bott Millar Charitable Foundation, the Keokuk Area Community Foundation, and the Lee County Charitable Fund.
In addition, donations came from hundreds of individuals, banks, and businesses from the Keokuk area and across the country.
Family connections
Before the ceremony inside the depot, David Grogan of Keokuk was outside the building, taking photos of the Depot Master’s door.
“My grandfather was superintendent here at the Keokuk Union Depot back in the early ‘40s to the early ‘50s,” Grogan said, adding this was the door to his grandfather’s office.
Grogan said his grandfather was not the only family member involved with the railroad. His uncle was a yardmaster, his father worked for the railroad for a short time, and Grogan himself worked for Burlington Northern Santa Fe for a few years.
“So, we’ve got a railroad history in our family, but this building -- because this was where grandpa worked -- we’re fond of it,” he said.
In addition to the family’s railroad history, his daughter held both of her baby showers at the depot.
Vogel also has family connections to the depot. His grandfather, Raymond McNally, was a railroad engineer for 49 years.
“He was down here all the time, so occasionally I’d be brought down when I was very young,” Vogel said.
His great grandfather was a stonemason and might have helped build the depot, and his other grandfather delivered coal to the building.
What’s next
The city owns the building, which will be used as a community event center that can be rented for weddings, reunions, and other activities.
A portion of the building has yet to be renovated, including the former baggage room, the rooms used by various freight companies, and the boiler room.
Vogel would like to see the baggage room renovated into a catering kitchen. It’s right next to the newly restored waiting room.
“It’s a great event space right now, but with nowhere to deliver things to and prep them,” Vogel said.
He said it will be up to the Foundation to decide what project to tackle next.
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