Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train Shed

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train Shed (commonly referred to as the Milwaukee Road Depot), now officially named The Depot, is a historic railroad depot in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. At its peak, the station served 29 trains per day. Following decline, the station was closed and eventually adapted into various other uses.DevelopmentThe Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad had a long history in the Minneapolis area, beginning in 1865 when a predecessor railroad, the Minnesota Central, built a line from Mendota to Minneapolis. The Minnesota Central also built a line from Mendota to St. Paul in that early era. Eventually, rail lines connected Minneapolis and St. Paul with Milwaukee, Wisconsin via Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.ArchitectureThe freight house and the first depot were built in 1879, with an Italianate architectural style. The first depot was razed after a new facility, with Renaissance Revival architecture, was built in 1899.Originally, the facility's most distinguishing feature, the clock tower, was pinnacled and modeled after the Giralda in Seville, Spain; high winds destroyed the pinnacle in 1941 and the tower has since had a flat top.