Heritage Plaza (Albany, Georgia) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Union Station depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	Roosevelt Ave. and N. Front St.
Nearest city	Albany, Georgia
Built	1913
NRHP reference No.	75000590
Added to NRHP	1975

Albany Railroad Depot Historic District (Heritage Plaza)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Georgia (U.S. state) Show map of Georgia (U.S. state) Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	211-213 Roosevelt Ave.
Nearest city	Albany, Georgia
NRHP reference No.	84000979
Added to NRHP	1982

The Albany Railroad Depot Historic District, also called Heritage Plaza, is a special place in Albany, Georgia. It's located on West Roosevelt Avenue. This area is looked after by the Thronateeska Heritage Center. This center is a non-profit group that works to save history and teach science in Southwest Georgia.

Heritage Plaza includes several old buildings and even a brick street. You can find the Tift Warehouse, built in 1857, and the Union Station depot from 1913. The Railway Express Agency building is also part of this historic area. All these places are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means they are important historical sites.

History of the Railroad Depot

Building Union Station

The Union Station building was finished in 1912. It was built to serve many different train companies. These included the Albany and Northern, Atlantic Coast Line, Central of Georgia, Georgia Northern, and Seaboard Air Line railroads. This new station replaced an older one that was built in 1857.

Famous Trains and Journeys

Many important trains used to stop at Union Station. Some of these trains traveled long distances. For example, the Seminole and City of Miami trains went from Chicago all the way to Florida. The Flamingo and Southland traveled from Cincinnati to Florida.

Another train, run by the Central of Georgia, went through Albany. It would stop in Albany and then continue its journey to Panama City, Florida. This city is a popular resort on the Gulf Coast. The very last passenger train to leave Albany was the City of Miami in 1971.

Saving History: Thronateeska Heritage Center

In 1974, people in the community wanted to save the old downtown railroad area. This led to the creation of the Thronateeska Heritage Foundation, Inc. This group was formed by combining two other organizations. One was the Southwest Georgia Historical Society, started in 1969. The other was the Albany Junior Museum, which began in 1959.

Thanks to the Thronateeska Heritage Center, the 1913 Union Station depot was saved. It became a museum and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. This helped make sure the building would be protected for the future.

New Discoveries at the Plaza

The Wetherbee Planetarium first opened in 1980. It was located in the old Railway Express Agency (REA) building. Later, in 2008, a new and bigger Wetherbee Planetarium and Science Museum was built. This new building was placed between the REA building and the Fryer-Merritt House. Its design even included parts that looked like the original 1926 Central Georgia Roundhouse.

In 1982, more parts of the area were added to the National Register. This included the Tift Warehouse, the REA building, and Albany's last remaining brick street. These were all listed together as Albany’s Railroad Depot Historic District.

Moving Historic Buildings

To save other important old buildings, some were moved to Heritage Plaza. The Fryer-Merritt House, built in the 1880s, was moved to the Plaza in 1994. It was then fixed up and restored. The Hilsman Kitchen was also moved to Heritage Plaza in 1977. It was placed next to the REA building. This kitchen originally came from the home of Dr. Hilsman, who was one of Albany's first doctors.