the hub

1909-2005 HONORS THINK TANK

The depot centers on Third South street, one of the main business thoroughfares and has an immense approach or foreground on the town side and large, roomy covered platforms paralleling the tracks on the railroad side.

The center . . . large room is lighted by three immense arched windows on each side (each 28x30 feet) through green opalescent glass. The interior of the waiting room is treated in an adaptation of a classic style of architecture similar to the exterior, the color scheme being brownish red and gray for the walls with a deep brown for the ceiling. All of this, combined with a the green light through the windows, gives the room a dignified quietness.

In the wings of the building at each end of the waiting room are provided all the accessories necessary to every large railroad depot. In one end are the baggage, express and parcel rooms, while in the other end are provided everything necessary for the comfort of travelers, including men's smoking room, women's retiring room, restaurant, etc. In the center of the large waiting room are the tickets offices, news stand, telegraph and telephone offices and other conveniences for the traveling public.

In the second story of the main structure are the railroad companies' offices.

. . . The best of material of the various kinds has been employed in the structure. For the exterior there is a marble base of white Colorado-Yule marble five feet high all around the building. The balance of the exterior is in terra cotta and red New Jersey rain-washed brick. The roofs are of red tile. The building is absolutely fireproof and is treated on the interior with tile floors throughout and with marble wainscoting, all harmonizing with the general color effect of the different rooms.

Salt Lake Tribune. August 14, 1910v

Rio Grande Depot The Denver and Rio Grande Depot was built as the crown jewel for the union of the Denver and Rio Grande and Western Pacific railroad systems. Construction was completed in 1910, one year after the completion of the Western Pacific line and one year later than the competing Union Pacific constructed their depot at South Temple and 400 West. The site and classic splendor of the D&RG Depot was meant to compete with that of the UP Depot.

The depot was symbolic of the change that had occurred in Salt Lake City after the turn of the century. The city had grown from a town to a city, almost doubling in population (53,000 to 92,000). Several large, world-class hotels were finished or under construction. There were large commercial office buildings being built downtown, changing the look of Main Street. The physical and economic isolation of the city was ending. The geographic location of the state and Salt Lake City was still making the area the "Crossroads of the West."

The two depots [became the gateway] to the city and reminded the traveler of larger metropolitan cities and the prosperity and durability of the railroad lines that built them. This last point is somewhat ironic since construction of the [tracks] caused financial hardship for both lines. George Gould, the owner of the D&RGW line spent a total of $75 million, most of his personal fortune, completing the project of laying a line to the West Coast and building the depot in an attempt to win contracts and a market share from the Union Pacific. He did break UPs railroad monopoly but also was ruined financially and lost his railroad empire a short time later.

The depot was completed at a cost of $750,000. Designed by Henry S. Schlachs of Chicago, it combines elements of several classical styles to create an effect of richness and formality. Elements of the Renaissance Revival and Beaux Arts Classicism are most obvious. Renaissance Revival characteristics include the horizontal division of stories, inside and out, emphasized by the use of different materials, colors, and textures for the two stories and the repetition of round arch windows.

Beaux Arts Classicism characteristics include the exuberance of detail, although this is toned down in comparison to a building like the Hotel Utah, egg-and-dart molding, the brackets and cartouches that accent the second story entrances to the wings, and the coffering of the ceiling. This style is also seen in the variety of finishes used on the building, the dominance of a central axis, and its symmetry of the building.

The depot was sold to the state of Utah for $1.00 in 1977. It was restored, at less expense than building a new building. The Utah State Historical Society occupied it in 1980.

History courtesy of history.utah.gov

Photos taken between 1908 and 1911

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