Photo: Chicago & North Western Passenger Depot — National Register of Historic Places #03000358

Photographer: Cosmos Mariner
Taken: June 30, 2021
Caption: Chicago & North Western Passenger Depot — National Register of Historic Places #03000358
Additional Description: From the National Register Nomination: The Chicago & North Western Passenger Depot at Wall Lake, Iowa is a one-story wood frame building measuring 24 x 81 feet. Constructed in 1899 as a replacement depot, it is sited on an east-west axis with the front façade oriented toward the track on the south side. As built, a 12 x 300-foot plank platform ran along the front facade and connected to 24 x 20 baggage and express building, separated from the depot by a breezeway.
The depot is the only surviving structure in Wall Lake to provide evidence of the enormous role that rail transportation played in the life of this small town from the 1880s until about World War II. By the turn of the century, Wall Lake, with a population of not quite 800, was served by both the Chicago & North Western and the Illinois Central railroads. Access to agricultural products; to extensive sand and gravel deposits northeast of Wall Lake; and to nearby hunting, fishing, and water recreation areas provided the impetus for railroad competition in the area.
Although not as substantial as many second-generation depots, which often were constructed of brick, the Wall Lake depot nonetheless reflects the railroad line's concern with public image during an era of growth and competition for passengers and freight. By 1899, when the depot was constructed, the Chicago & North Western had absorbed a variety of lines and aimed to simplify its corporate structure as well as minimize operating costs. The company thus adopted three standard combination depot plans, the design of which has been attributed to the prominent Chicago architectural firm of Frost and Granger. The three plans varied according to size and use of interior space, with Number One being the largest and most elaborate of the three inasmuch as this is the only plan to incorporate a separate waiting room for women. By 1902, the C&NW reportedly had built about two dozen "Number One" depots in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota. How many Number One standard-plan depots are extant in these four states is currently undetermined, but the number cannot be large because so many railroad structures have been demolished.
Submitted: January 21, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p770824
File Size: 4.072 Megabytes

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