Denver & Rio Grande Depot

Denver and Rio Grande Depot. . , The first railroad to reach present-day Littleton was the Denver and Rio Grande on October 28, 1871. The line was being built by William Jackson Palmer to connect Denver to the resort community he had just founded, Colorado Springs. Richard Little's farm just happened to be along the way. Cheap, quick and reliable railroad transportation expanded the markets for Little's Rough and Ready Flour Mill and assured Littleton's prosperity. , Regular service began on January 1, 1872, and after a year as a flag stop, the railroad built a wood-frame depot in 1873. A few years later this was replaced by the stone depot that residents know today. By this time a second railroad passed through Littleton on the west side of the South Platte River. The Denver, South Park and Pacific railroad connected Denver with the mining district of Leadville. In 1887 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe added its own rails, encouraging even greater growth in local manufacturing. , The heyday of railroading in Littleton began in 1889 when the D&RG initiated regular commuter service between Littleton and Denver. The train was dubbed the Uncle Sam, because it also served the newly opened army post at Fort Logan. Running up to six trips per day, it turned Littleton from a relatively quiet farming community into a bedroom suburb of Denver. New modes of transportation reduced the reliance on rail service soon after the turn of the century, and passenger service to Littleton discontinued in 1967. The depot still handled freight until 1982, when the depot closed. , The original stone depot measured 48 feet long and 24 feet wide, and was constructed with rough cut (quarry cut) Castle Rock rhyolite, a very popular building stone in late 19th century Colorado. The gabled roof has deep overhanging eaves supported by timber brackets decorated with acorn shaped finials. On each of the gabled ends is a round window, which was probably added more for aesthetics than for function. , Over the years, various alterations and additions were made to the depot including: construction of bay windows and a separate baggage room to the north in 1906; the 1942 enclosure of the area between the buildings and addition of a two-lavatory lean-to on the east side; white and green exterior paint, interior remodels and changes to many of the windows and doors. , In 1973, the depot was declared eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. After it ceased operation, it became threatened with destruction by the Littleton Railroad Depression, a public works project designed to lower the railroad tracks into a huge trench, thereby alleviating automobile congestion in downtown Littleton. In 1984 the depot was moved to Crestline Avenue and Rio Grande Street, about one-half mile from its original location, and renovated at a cost of about $40,000. All of the exterior additions were removed, including the white paint from the beautiful and naturally colored rhyolite. In 1999, it was moved again to serve as the downtown Littleton Light Rail Station. , The D&RG Railroad Depot is architecturally significant, in that it is one of only a few remaining examples of the 19th century style of small, stone depots. Its historic significance to the Littleton area is undeniable, and represents the important role that railroads played in the development of Littleton and the West, in general. The depot has returned to its use as a passenger station for those utilizing the southwest light rail corridor, a fitting chapter in the history of a structure that served Littleton for more than a century.