Osceola station is an

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

intercity train station in Osceola, Iowa, United States served by

. Osceola is the closest Amtrak station to

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

, Iowa's capital and most populous city, which is about to the north. The station is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Depot.

History

The Osceola station was built in 1907 by the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

(CB&Q), replacing an earlier wood station. Designed in the Prairie Style, the reddish-brown brick depot has a low slung, horizontal profile reinforced by the limestone water table and belt courses that wrap around the building. Originally a combination depot, the building contained freight and passenger areas under one roof. The ticket office retains many original features, such as ticket windows, wood benches and light fixtures.Great American Stations
Accessed April 7, 2013. It passed to Burlington Northern in 1970 upon the Q's merger with

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...

and Northern Pacific, and became part of the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

in 1995. In 2007, following a decade of talks with BNSF, the city of Osceola gained ownership of the historic building. Working with an architect specializing in historic preservation, the city planned a multi-phase restoration of the depot and parking area to create an intermodal transportation hub to better serve Amtrak and intercity bus riders. The restoration of the exterior was funded in part by $600,000 in federal funds obtained through the Iowa Department of Transportation. This project included the installation of a new roof, reconstruction of a damaged chimney, restoration of existing windows, installation of new historically appropriate storm windows, manufacture of new entry doors that match the originals, re-pointing of the mortar that holds the bricks in place, and general rehabilitation and cleaning of the brick and stone surfaces. City officials also hope to restore the interior if funding can be found. According to the proposal, the former freight area would become the new waiting room and might accommodate local history displays; in turn, the former waiting room would become a small museum, restaurant, or other retail space.

References

External links

Osceola Amtrak Station (USA RailGuide -- TrainWeb)
{{NRHP in Clarke County, Iowa Amtrak stations in Iowa Osceola, Iowa Transportation buildings and structures in Clarke County, Iowa Former Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad stations Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Clarke County, Iowa