Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot (Salt Lake City) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rio Grande Depot
Former D&RGW Railroad and Amtrak station
Rio Grande Depot, February 2011
Location	300 S. Rio Grande, Salt Lake City
Owned by	State of Utah
Tracks	None remaining
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Other information
Station code	SLC
History
Opened	1910
Closed	1999 (passenger service)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Elko toward Emeryville California Zephyr Provo toward Chicago Milford toward Los Angeles Desert Wind Discontinued in 1997 Delta Dropped in 1988 toward Los Angeles Ogden toward Seattle Pioneer Before 1991 reroute Preceding station Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Following station Ogden Terminus Moffat Tunnel Route Discontinued 1983 Provo toward Denver Royal Gorge Route Preceding station Western Pacific Railroad Following station Burmeister towards Oakland Feather River Route Terminus Wendover towards Oakland California Zephyr through to Chicago via Rio Grande Main Line
Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Utah Show map of Utah Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1910
Architect	Henry J. Schlacks
Architectural style	Renaissance Revival, Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.	75001815
Added to NRHP	25 September 1975

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Depot, often called the Rio Grande Depot, is a historic train station located on the west side of Downtown Salt Lake City. It was once a very busy place for train travelers.

History of the Rio Grande Depot

The California Zephyr train at the depot in 1970. This was its last trip west.

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad built this depot in 1910. It cost about $750,000 to build. The railroad wanted it to be their most impressive building.

A Chicago architect named Henry Schlacks designed the depot. He was known for designing churches. He also designed another depot for the railroad in Colorado. The Rio Grande Depot was meant to be grander than the nearby Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot. That station was built a year earlier for $300,000.

The depot was built in two fancy styles: Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts. The tall, arched windows in the middle originally had green glass. This helped keep the waiting area cool.

Inside, the depot had many useful spaces. There was a barber shop, a restaurant, and separate lounges. One lounge was for men to smoke, and another was for women. It also had a telegraph office and a snack bar.

The depot helped many new people move to Salt Lake City. It was also a key place for soldiers leaving for World War I and World War II. But in the 1950s, more people started traveling by car. This caused train travel to slow down.

In 1975, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a special historic building. The State of Utah bought the depot in 1977 for just $1. Today, it is home to the Utah State Historical Society. It also houses the Utah Department of Heritage & Arts and the Rio Gallery.

Amtrak Service at the Depot

From 1986 to 1999, the Rio Grande Depot served as Salt Lake City's Amtrak station. Amtrak is a company that runs passenger trains across the United States. The depot took over from the Union Pacific Depot for Amtrak service.

Several Amtrak trains used this station. These included the California Zephyr, the Desert Wind, and the Pioneer. The Desert Wind and Pioneer trains stopped running in 1997.

The California Zephyr still runs daily between Chicago and Emeryville, California. The Desert Wind used to go from Chicago to Los Angeles. The Pioneer used to travel from Chicago to Seattle.

By 1999, Amtrak moved its services to the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub. After that, the train tracks near the Rio Grande Depot were removed.