Missouri-Pacific Railroad Depot, Atkins Arkansas
The city of Atkins was incorporated in 1876 as a direct result of the arrival of the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad, later taken over by the Missouri-Pacific. As was frequently the case after the railroad arrived in the vicinity of previously established river towns but did not actually pass through the town itself, the local commercial and transportation hub shifted from Galla Rock (located approximately five miles to the south) to Atkins, and subsequently signaled the demise of Galla Rock as a steamboat landing and trading center. Atkins served as the new local transportation hub from the date of its incorporation until the dramatic expansion and improvement of the state highway system that took place after World War II, with agricultural produce and passengers being its primary source of traffic.
The Missouri-Pacific Railroad constructed this depot c. 1910 as part of its plans to expand its passenger and freight railroad system throughout the nation.
The Missouri-Pacific Depot is a single-story, brick masonry and stucco passenger and freight railroad depot designed in the Mediterranean style that the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in particular considered the preferred style for such depot construction during the first decades of the twentieth century. Its rectangular plan is relieved only by a projecting telegrapher's bay on the southern elevation. Two brick chimneys rise through the ridge to the east of the southern telegrapher's bay, and the other rises through the ridge near the western end of the building. The continuous cast concrete foundation supports the brick and stucco walls, and the roof is sheathed with composition shingles.
The northern or street elevation is twelve bays in length, with the open, recessed western porch completing the elevation. With the exception of the single-leaf entrance placed to the west of center, the entire wall is punctuated with one-over-one wood sash windows and taller windows of identical sash configuration that are also surmounted with transoms (some of these windows have been covered over to prevent vandalism, though the original sash probably remains behind). The single entrance is ornamented with a flush brick surround that contrasts with the otherwise stucco finish. The southern elevation opposite is also fenestrated with both one-over-one wood sash windows and taller identical windows with transoms, though it differs from the elevation opposite in that it is accessed via a total of three single-leaf entrances in the main wall and another in the eastern face of the telegrapher's bay. The telegrapher's bay is placed just to the east of center and is itself fenestrated with a single, central segmental-arched opening that is filled with a tri-partite window, featuring three rectangular windows below three arched transom windows, all set within the brick lintel above and the concrete water table below, resting upon the brick dado. A single tall window lights its western face.
The western elevation is dominated by the hipped roof projecting out over the wall and resting upon the two massive brick columns. The wall beneath the porch roof is fenestrated with two separate one-over-one wood sash windows placed in the center of the wall. The eastern elevation originally contained a large, central freight door; however, this has been partially enclosed to form a single-leaf entrance. Otherwise, it is blank.
The exterior details, though minimal, are typical of buildings designed in the Mediterranean style. The elaborate, large ornamental brackets that adorn the broad, spreading cornice throughout, the mixture of brick, concrete and stucco as exterior finish materials, and the overall horizontality of the composition are all features common to this style.
The interior, though currently functioning as the city hall for the city of Atkins, has retained most of its original door and window trim, and has also, in fact, kept most of its original floor plan.
The Missouri-Pacific Depot in Atkins has lost only its original ceramic tile roof; otherwise, it is relatively quite intact and in good condition.
