Alexandria station (Minnesota)

United States historic place

Great Northern Passenger Depot

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

The Great Northern Passenger Depot from the southeast

Show map of Minnesota

Show map of the United States

Location| N. Broadway & Agnes Blvd., Alexandria, Minnesota
Coordinates| 45°53′30″N 95°22′43″W﻿ / ﻿45.89167°N 95.37861°W﻿ / 45.89167; -95.37861
Area| less than one acre
Built| 1907
Architect| Great Northern Railway; Evenson, Earle & Aiton
NRHP reference No.| 85001760 [1]
Added to NRHP| August 15, 1985

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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[3]

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.[4] The adjacent rail line is now the Central Lakes State Trail.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Hidy, Ralph Willard; Muriel E. Hidy; Roy V. Scott (2004). The Great Northern Railway: a history. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 9781452907109.
3. ^ a b "Railroad Properties: Great Northern Passenger Depot". Minnesota from the Railroad. Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
4. ^ "All Aboard!". Depot Express. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-01-26.

## External links[edit]

* Depot Express – current tenant

Preceding station  | Great Northern Railway | Following station

|
|

Garfield

toward Seattle

|  | Main Line

Via St. Cloud

|  | Nelson, MN

toward St. Paul

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Topics|

* Architectural style categories
* Contributing property
* Historic district
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Keeper of the Register
* National Park Service
* Property types

Lists by state|

* List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state:
* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Lists by insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Minor Outlying Islands
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* Virgin Islands

Lists by associated state|

* Federated States of Micronesia
* Marshall Islands
* Palau

Other areas|

* District of Columbia
* American Legation, Morocco

Related|

* National Historic Preservation Act
* Historic Preservation Fund
* List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places
* University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places

* National Register of Historic Places portal
* Category

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template