National Register of Historic Places

Great Northern Passenger Depot

Alexandria, Douglas County, Minnesota
Listed
August 14, 1985
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
85001760

About this property

Alexandria station is a historic train station in Alexandria, Minnesota. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as the Great Northern Passenger Depot. The Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad reached Alexandria in 1878. The Great Northern Railway promoted Alexandria as a tourist destination, with brochures and attractive fares, and the growing tourist traffic made it necessary to replace the original wood-frame depot. The new depot was built more ornately than the usual depots, which were executed from standardized plans developed by the railroads. The Alexandria depot had mosaic tile floors, birch woodwork, enameled brick wainscoting, and comfortable furniture, and it was located conveniently next to a nearby park. The new depot was one of the largest and most ornate along the Great Northern line in Minnesota. The Alexandria depot was an active passenger station until May 1, 1971. The depot's last train; Burlington Northern's " Western Star " was not continued by Amtrak & made its last run on April 30, 1971. Freight service continued until 1976, at which point the depot was shuttered. Burlington Northern sold the building in 1984, and its new owners completed a restoration and reopened it the next year as the Depot Express Restaurant and Lounge. The adjacent rail line is now the Central Lakes State Trail.

Location

Alexandria, Douglas County, Minnesota
45.89159, -95.37887

Categories

COMMERCETRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Cowing, Thomas F., House
Industrial
0.3 mi
Alexandria Public Library
Industrial
0.5 mi
U.S. Post Office-Alexandria
Industrial
0.5 mi
Ward, Noah P., House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Douglas County Courthouse
Industrial
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Great Northern Passenger Depot listed on the National Register?

Great Northern Passenger Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 14, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Great Northern Passenger Depot?

Great Northern Passenger Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Great Northern Passenger Depot?

The period of significance for Great Northern Passenger Depot is recorded as the industrial era.

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