Great Northern Depot

 Built in 1906 under the direction of James J. Hill, the Great Northern Depot provided needed train services and support for travelers from its opening in 1907 through the mid-1980’s when it was closed. The building and property fell into disrepair until 1993 when designs began to convert the historic building to a restaurant and micro-brewery.

Financial necessity required that the building contain a minimum of 300 seats. Clear, butt-glazed curtainwall enclosed the east and west Porte cocheres. The attic provides space for the air handling and conditioning equipment for the building. The adjacent boxcar, a vintage Great Northern RR car, sits on an old track spur and houses the kitchen’s mechanical equipment. The tile roofing, brick and granite masonry, clockworks, wood doors and windows and interior terrazzo and glazed ceramic wainscoting were restored to coincide with the original designs of the building. All work was done using The Secretary of the Interiors Guidelines for Historical Rehabilitation to obtain federal tax credits. The Great Northern Depot is also one of the buildings featured on the Society of Architectural Historians, which can be viewed here Great Northern (GN) Railway Depot | SAH ARCHIPEDIA.