Located in Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk has always been a transportation hub at the confluence of the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers, and when the railroad crossed the Mississippi in 1871 it became a rail hub, with multiple railroads heading west by various routes across the great plains. Each railroad had its own depot, forcing passengers to walk the muddy streets to make connections.
Finally in 1890, the railroads joined together to create one central union depot and engaged Chicago’s most prominent architectural firm, Burnham and Root to design it. It turned out to be one of John Root’s last commissions. Executed in Root’s favored Romanesque Revival style, it featured a steep tile roof, a clocktower, and a vaulted waiting room clad in oak paneling. Trackside, the building was equipped with a unique continuous turtle-back canopy to keep passengers dry as they boarded.
In 1937, lightning struck the tower and a fire ensued, destroying the upper half of the massive roof. Repairs were made but the roof line was severely truncated in 1950. Still, the building served travelers well until rail passenger service to Keokuk was suspended in 1967. After that, it became a railroad storage building, received little maintenance, and deteriorated.
In 2011 the City of Keokuk, acquired the Keokuk Union Depot from Pioneer Railcorp for the purpose of historic preservation and community use, and leased the land under it for 99 years. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a Historic Structure Report was prepared.
In 2014, the Jeffris Family Foundation issued a Capital Campaign Challenge Grant of $333,000, which was quickly matched by the community and restoration of the exterior began. When that was completed by 2019, the Keokuk Union Depot Foundation was awarded a second Jeffris challenge grant in the amount of $275,000 to restore the interior of the waiting room and the rail-side canopy.
Throughout the long restoration process, a good deal of the work was completed by skilled local volunteers. The depot was reopened with great fanfare in 2024, and today hosts a wide array of community events.
