Rock Island Depot

The Rock Island Depot is a historic passenger and freight train station that is now home to the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad built it in 1898. Although no longer used for its original purpose, it represents the important role railroads played in the town's development in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is also a good example of Renaissance Revival architecture. It consists of two buildings (the main structure and the adjacent baggage and express room) connected by an iron canopy. Notable features include the multi-colored brick exterior and the red-tile roof. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Atlantic was established thanks to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (CRI&P), which built a rail line from Des Moines to Council Bluffs that passed through the area. The line spurred the development of businesses and industries that depended on railroads, such as farms who shipped livestock and agricultural goods to markets. By the time the second, present depot was built in 1898, Atlantic had become the most prosperous city between Des Moines and Council Bluffs. The new depot increased the city's stature even more in the area, which by then had seen the construction of additional railroad lines. The depot was part of a massive expansion project the CRI&P undertook in 1898 after the Panic of 1893, the economic depression that lasted until 1897. The depot replaced the first one which was located just one block away (it was eventually torn down in the 1970s).

Use of the depot started to decline after trucks and cars became more prevalent and highways were built. It is unclear how long the depot was used but over time it was modified to accommodate different needs, such as the adding of the canopy between the two buildings in the 1950s. The tracks next to the depot are still in use and owned by the Iowa Interstate Railroad, which sold the depot to a local non-profit in the early 1990s. Information about when the Chamber of Commerce acquired it is not readily available.

Nash, Jan R. "Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Depot." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. February 23, 1994. https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/nrhp/text/94000087.PDF.