Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, Iowa City Iowa

Date added: September 12, 2024

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The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station in Iowa City was the city's second such facility, has been since its completion in 1898, the central symbol of the railroad's presence in Iowa City and a major reference point for the thousands of university students and other citizens who utilized its facilities in coming to and going from Iowa City.

Iowa City's first railroad passenger depot, which was located three blocks east of the present one, was constructed in 1855 by the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, a predecessor of the Rock Island, and was placed in service on New Year's Eve of that year when the first train reached Iowa City. For over forty years, this facility was adequate for the city's needs, but in the 1890's the feeling grew that Iowa City needed an improved and modern depot.

According to contemporary newspaper accounts, the principal figure in getting the new depot built was Harry Breene, the local Rock Island agent, who had pleaded with his superiors for such a facility from the time he first arrived in Iowa City. Actual construction of the depot, however, was under the supervision of W.K. McFarlin, the Rock Island's superintendent of maintenance and construction. Press accounts credit him for giving the city a first class depot and making sure a second class building would not be constructed. That Iowa City received a far better station than the average was attested to by an individual with another railroad company who stated: "It's the handsomest depot of its size in the United States. Indeed, I never saw its equal, size considered, anywhere in the world."

By the fall of 1898 the new depot had been completed, and on October 4^th of that year the new facility was formally dedicated with some 3,000 Iowa Citizens in attendance. For the next seventy-two years, the depot was the departure and arrival point for persons serving the nation in five wars, untold numbers of university students, famous visitors to the city, and ordinary citizens. In 1970 because of declining passenger traffic and financial losses, the Rock Island ended passenger service to Iowa City and utilized the depot largely for office space. In early 1982 two local attorneys purchased the depot and have plans to utilize it as an office facility.

Building Description

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, located on the southern edge of Iowa City's downtown commercial district, has been one of the city's principal landmarks since its completion in 1898. Architecturally, this building is a good example of Victorian eclecticism, and in this particular structure the Richardsonian and Victorian Romanesque styles predominate. Henry Hobson Richardson's influence can be most clearly seen in the round arches in the porte cochere on the station's north side and the large hipped roof with flared eaves and large brackets that cap the building. Other Richardsonian characteristics include transomed windows arranged in groups in ribbon-like fashion and the short tower on the south facade. On the other hand, the structure's polychromatic exterior finish, which is provided by the combination of dark red, rock faced St. Joe brick on the base, tan LaSalle pressed brick on the body, and the red tiles covering the roof are distinctly un-Richardsonian and characteristic of the Victorian Romanesque style.

From an examination of early photographs, it appears that the depot has undergone very little significant exterior alteration over the years. Early photos reveal that the decorative brackets, presently painted white, were once a darker color.

Inside the depot consists of two waiting rooms, restrooms, a ticket office and communications center, both of which are situated in the two-story tower portion, and a baggage storage area connected to the main section of the station by a covered passageway. The interior arrangement has changed little over the years except for the addition of partitions in the southwest corner of the waiting room to create two additional offices. Although some interior features like chandeliers and bronzed radiators have been removed, others like the variegated floor tile and the beige ceramic brick tile on the walls remain.