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Greeley Union Pacific Railroad Depot -
902 7TH AV
 Print Listing
Historical Name -
Greeley Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Style -
No Style - railroad-related architecture
Built Year -
1929-30
State ID -
5WL764
Description -
The depot is a well-preserved example of railroad-related architecture, built during the twilight of the railroads’ passenger service era. The building’s construction is strongly representative of suburban and small city depots built in the pre-Depression years. Designed by master architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the depot displays a strong horizontal emphasis with vertical accents. Extensive use of terra cotta accentuates the four main entrances and the double-hung windows on the west and east elevations.” (Qtd from Memo to the Historic Preservation Commission from Ben Fogelberg regarding the Greeley Union Pacific Railroad Depot dated December 9, 1996) It is a one-story building with the main elevation on the west and a concrete foundation with brick veneer. Walls are brick with a soldier course of bricks every five rows and decorative brickwork around the entryways and in recessed panels under the windows. Windows include multi-light hoppers, eight-over-eight double hung windows, single light fixed, and four-over-four double hung windows. Some have brick sills and lintels and others have terra cotta sills and lintels. There are two entrances on the east elevation and two entrances on the west elevation. They have terra cotta arches and pilasters, decorative brickwork and the Union Pacific logo above each entrance. For more information, see the National Register of Historic Places Nomination form.
“The Greeley Union Pacific Railroad Depot is set back from the east side of Seventh Avenue, between Eighth and Tenth Streets, in the city’s northeast quadrant. Oriented on a north-south axis, the depot is a rectangular building comprised of an elevated central block, with a long flanking wing to the north and a shorter wing to the south. A waiting platform built of red brick pavers surrounds the building on all sides. On the east elevation, the platform extends more than forty feet to four sets of railroad tracks, including the Union Pacific mainline. Beyond the platform, to the south, west and east, is an asphalt parking lot. A concrete sidewalk and an additional set of railroad tracks parallel Seventh Avenue along the property’s western boundary. Encompassing approximately two acres, the site is generally flat, and is well maintained with minimal landscaping. Greeley’s downtown commercial district, along with city and county government complexes, is located approximately two blocks to the west. Buildings to the north, east and south are primarily a mixture of light industrial and commercial development.” (Qtd from National Register of Historic Places nomination form)
Historical Background -
This depot is the third depot which has served Greeley, an agricultural community founded on the Denver Pacific Railroad route. In 1880, the Denver Pacific Route was brought under the umbrella organization of the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad has played a very significant role in the development of Greeley, as it provided passenger service and freight service for shipping goods to Greeley and shipping produce and cattle to urban centers. Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed this depot in 1929 to replace the 1883 stone depot. Mead and Mount Construction Company of Denver built the depot in 1930 at a cost of $88,000. The depot was heavily utilized for passenger service, but the demand for rail service around the nation and in Greeley declined, especially after World War II, due in part to the increase in air travel and the use of automobiles.
In 1972, Union Pacific handed over passenger service through Greeley to Amtrak. Greeley was a stop on Amtrak’s San Francisco - Wyoming Route from 1972 until 1983, when Amtrak abandoned the line. The depot stood vacant from 1983 until 1991, when Amtrak once again placed Greeley as a stop on the passenger service route from Denver to Seattle. The City of Greeley purchased the depot and now leases it to the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and Greeley/Weld Chamber of Commerce.
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