Missouri-Pacific Railroad Depot, Walnut Ridge Arkansas
Walnut Ridge, like its neighbor city Hoxie (located just one-and-one-half miles to the southwest), owes its existence to the construction of the original Cairo and Fulton Railroad in 1871 (completed 1873). The city plan of Walnut Ridge reflects this influence, with its principal commercial thoroughfares largely paralleling the railroad tracks. The railroads (the St. Louis and San Francisco, a.k.a. Frisco, enters Hoxie from the southeast, then turns northeast to Walnut Ridge, and then turns northwest again) provided the traffic and commerce that kept Walnut Ridge alive throughout the early twentieth century, during the heyday of the railroads as America's principal means passenger and commercial transportation.
The Missouri-Pacific Railroad Depot in Walnut Ridge was constructed circa 1909 as part of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad's ambitious campaign to expand its network of rail lines all over the country.
The depot is currently owned by the Union Pacific Railroad Company.
Building Description
The Missouri-Pacific Depot in Walnut Ridge is a single-story, brick masonry freight and passenger depot designed in the Mediterranean style that was popular in 1909 when this depot was constructed. The original ceramic tile, gable-on-hip roof has since been replaced with asphalt shingles, consequently diminishing the Mediterranean character of the depot. The plan is rectangular with the exception of the three-sided telegrapher's bay on the track side. The telegrapher's bay is covered by a cross gable with decorative stucco and half-timbering. A continuous, cast concrete foundation supports the entire structure.
The northern elevation is lighted with six two-over-two wood sash windows and a freight door at the eastern end. A gable dormer above the center pair of windows is filled with stucco and half-timbering. The southern elevation opposite is anchored by a projecting telegrapher's bay, the pediment of which is also filled with stucco and half-timbering, and fenestrated with five two-over-two wood sash windows, including two in the telegrapher's bay itself. Two single-leaf entrances flank the telegrapher's bay, and a large freight door completes the eastern end.
The eastern and western elevations are both fenestrated with symmetrically-placed wood windows; the western elevation with two-over-two wood sash windows, the eastern elevation with two-pane fixed windows.
The building originally featured more detail, primarily through the two now-removed brick chimneys and the clay tile roof; however, their removal constitutes the only changes of note to the building.
View from north (1990)
