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Missoula station (Northern Pacific Railway)

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Coordinates: 46°52′31″N 113°59′30″W / 46.87528°N 113.99167°W / 46.87528; -113.99167
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For the former Milwaukee Road station in Missoula, see Missoula station (Milwaukee Road).
Missoula, MT
inter-city rail station
Amtrak's North Coast Hiawatha at Missoula in July 1976
General information
LocationRailroad and Higgins Avenue, Missoula, Montana
USA
Platforms1 side, 1 island platform (removed)
Tracks2
History
Opened1883
Closed1979
Rebuilt1901
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Paradise
toward Seattle
 North Coast Hiawatha Deer Lodge
toward Chicago
Preceding station Northern Pacific Railway Following station
De Smet
toward Seattle or Tacoma
 Main Line Bonner
toward St. Paul
De Smet
toward Wallace
 Wallace – Missoula Terminus
Post
toward Darby
 Bitter Root Branch
Northern Pacific Railroad Depot
The depot in 2012
LocationRailroad and Higgins Avenue
Missoula, Montana
Coordinates46°52′31″N 113°59′30″W / 46.87528°N 113.99167°W / 46.87528; -113.99167
Built1901 (1901)
ArchitectReed and Stem
Architectural styleSimplified Renaissance Revival
NRHP reference No.85000644[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 28, 1985
Location
Map

The Missoula station in Missoula, Montana, was built by the Northern Pacific Railway in 1901. The current structure is the third depot built in Missoula by the Northern Pacific, which reached Missoula in 1883.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, as the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot.

History

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The coming of the Northern Pacific Railway to Missoula ensured the town's economic prosperity as a major transportation hub in Western Montana.[3] The first depot in Missoula was constructed in 1883 and was located approximately 800 feet (240 m) west of the current structure. This depot was planned to be replaced in 1896, but the replacement depot was destroyed by arson before it was completed. The current depot, which was completed in 1901, was designed by architects Reed and Stem of St. Paul, Minnesota, in a simplified Renaissance Revival style of architecture.[2] Reed and Stem designed over 100 railroad depots, including the Grand Central Terminal in New York City.[2][4][5]

The depot is constructed of beige Roman brick that had been salvaged by Northern Pacific from the railroad's abandoned Olympian Hotel project in Tacoma, Washington, that would later be rebuilt as Stadium High School. Bricks from that hotel would also be used to construct a depot at Wallace, Idaho the same year.[2] The Missoula depot features a main three-story structure flanked by one story wings on each side. The main structure is divided by brick columns into six bays, with the outer four columns on each side sporting the Northern Pacific black and red yin-yang logo. The wings are likewise divided into four bays. The main structure has a hipped roof with terra cotta tiles, while the wings feature flat roofs.[6]

Passenger trains of the Northern Pacific stopped at the depot through 1971, when passenger service in the United States was taken over by Amtrak. Amtrak continued to provide service to Missoula with the North Coast Hiawatha until 1979.[7] The tracks are now used for freight only, and are owned by BNSF.

The depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1985,[1] and is considered to be the most prominent structure symbolizing the importance of the railroad in developing and transforming Missoula's economy.[2]

Near the depot is the preserved Northern Pacific #1356 4-6-0 steam locomotive.[6][8][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b National Register Information System
  2. ^ a b c d e McDonald, Babcock 1984, p. 3.
  3. ^ McDonald, Babcock 1984, p. 6.
  4. ^ Missoula Downtown Association
  5. ^ Belle 2000, p. 52.
  6. ^ a b McDonald, Babcock 1984, p. 2.
  7. ^ 4.0 Passenger Rail, p. 1.
  8. ^ Northern Pacific locomotive 1356
  9. ^ Google Maps

Bibliography

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  • Belle, John (2000). Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives. W. W. Norton & Company. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  • McDonald, James R. and William Babcock (December 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Northern Pacific Railroad Depot". National Register of Historic Places.
  • 4.0 Passenger Rail: 2010 Montana State Rail Plan (PDF), Cambridge Systematics, Inc., 2010, retrieved August 8, 2013
  • "Aerial View of Northern Pacific 1356" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  • "Historic Walking Tour: Downtown Historic Buildings". Missoula Downtown Association. Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  • "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  • "Northern Pacific locomotive 1356, Missoula". University of Montana. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
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