Ribbon Cutting for Northfield Transit Hub Held Last Week; A History of the Save the Depot Project & The Future As A Transit Hub

By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net

Northfield Mayor Erica Zweifel (left) and Alice Thomas of Save the Depot (right) cut the ribbon the new transit hub. Picture by Logan Wells/KYMN News

Last Tuesday, approximately 50 people gathered at the new Northfield Transit Hub to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the building. The event was a celebration of many years of work and effort by community and city leaders and the Save the Depot organization. The transit hub is connected by a large central platform to Northfield’s historic depot, serving both as a rest stop for buses and as an event venue. 

History of Northfield’s Train Depot

Northfield’s railroad history dates back to its beginnings in 1865, when the first depot was constructed south of 3rd Street and described as nothing more than a small shed. A new depot was built in 1868, serving both passengers and freight. In 1883, the Chicago Great Western depot was constructed north of 3rd Street. By the 1930s, it would go on to serve only freight and eventually be demolished in 1975. 

The current historic depot was built in 1888, south of 3rd Street. With its swooping hip roof and graceful, flared, overhanging eaves held up by decorative timber brackets, Northfield’s 1888 depot exemplifies an architectural style typical of many Midwest train stations from 1870 to 1900. Some theories suggest that the depot was modeled after the Milwaukee Depot in Decorah, Iowa. 

Northfield’s 4th Milwaukee Depot and the current depot that still stands in town.
Picture provided by the Northfield History Center.

The original plan of the 1888-1889 depot included two waiting rooms (one for men and one for women), a baggage room, a central fireplace, and an office. This office was situated in the bay window, allowing the controller to see trains approaching from both directions. Indoor restrooms were added in 1900. Access to a depot and rail service was critical to connecting both St. Olaf and Carleton College at the time. Thedore Reoosvelt, campaigning for President in 1912, would make a whistle-stop speech at the Depot. Dwight D. Eisenhower would also stop at the Depot in 1952 while campaigning for president (though he would speak at Laird Stadium).

The depot would be closed on October 22nd in 1981. 

Efforts to Save the Depot

In 2008, it was announced that Northfield’s depot was set to be torn down, unless it could be moved off Canadian Pacific property. The Save the Depot organization would go on to be formed, advocating and fundraising to preserve, move, and restore the depot. In 2016, an impressive task was undertaken to move the depot north of 3rd Street off of railroad property. 

Here, Alice Thomas of the Save the Depot organization, in 2018, on KYMN: 

“We have been working very hard on the interior over the winter and it is quite astounding. All of the ceilings have been painted. The exterior walls on the interior are all the original wood wall so we found under the plaster they’ve been repaired they’ve been painted and I think they look great” – Alice Thomas of Save the Depot, on the KYMN Morning Show (in March of 2018)

Northfield Mayor Erica Zweifel praised the work of the Save the Depot group and their attention to detail.

“Everything from saving the original bricks and foundation, hand carrying them at times, to the fundraising and Landscaping, every detail has had such attention “Erica Zweifel, Northfield Mayor. Audio courtesy of Northfield Public Broadcasting

After many years of restoration work, much of which was undertaken by volunteers, the historic depot held its ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 6, 2022. 

Left to right: Representatives from Save the Northfield Depot (Alice Thomas and Rob Martin), Canadian Pacific Railway (Dan Hanson), and the City of Northfield (Ben Martig) cut the ribbon. Picture provided by Save the Depot.
Northfields Historic Depot and the Union Pacific 4014 “Big Boy” Steam Train in 2019. Picture provided by Aramis Wells/Flashover Photo
A sketch design of the transit hub

The Transit Hub Project

After the restoration of the Depot was completed, discussion soon began about making the area a transit hub with the potential to serve both buses and rail. Plans were made to connect the historic depot and the new transit station by a central platform. Inside the transit hub are restrooms and seating areas for passengers to wait.

The bus service, Hiawathaland Transit, has already incorporated the transit hub into their route, and Diana Ford with the organization says they are excited for what the spot provides: 

“This new Transit Hub is not simply about the physical space you see before us it represents a connection opportunity, progress, and investment in our community’s future. We are excited about the opportunities the Hub represents, it serves as the next step in our ongoing mission to provide accessible, reliable, and efficient transportation to the residents in Northfield.” – Diana Ford, Co-Director of Transportation at Hiawathaland. Audio courtesy of Northfield Public Broadcasting

Two buses stop at the transit hub a week after the opening of the space. The transit hub serves a connection point between Northfield’s two bus routes.
Diana Ford of Hiawathaland Transit speaks about the role the new station will serve for their bus routes.
Picture by Logan Wells/KYMN News

Ford stated that in 2024, the organization provided 66,000 rides in Northfield. While train services are not currently offered at the depot, however, advocates said they will continue to work to bring passenger rail services to Northfield. 

The transit hub was primarily paid for by $1.75 million in state bonding funds.

The Depot Now Into The Future

The depot today serves as an event venue and museum. A place for the community to gather for meetings, family events, and a good place for a music performance. Information and items have been preserved inside and around the depot to preserve the many stories of the building. Thomas shared the important role that the depot served in the community: 

“As envisioned, the transit hub has joined the depot as a community resource, but I must admit we had no idea that the depot would be used by such a wide variety of community events, it’s rented by nonprofits and businesses for meetings, by musical groups who love the Acoustics, and by private individuals for social events.” – Alice Thomas of Save the Depot Audio courtesy of Northfield Public Broadcasting

Alice Thomas of the Save the Depot organization speaks to the group about the work of the group and history of the depot at the Transit Hub Ribbon Cutting on June 24th. Picture by Logan Wells/KYMN News

She noted that she particularly liked family gatherings in the depot:

“I feel an incredible gratification when I talk to people who use this building, for example, for family gatherings. It’s just so touching to see multi-generations play together, visiting together here.” – Alice Thomas of Save the Depot, KYMN News Audio File

Thank you to the Save the Depot group for preserving the historic information and for the work you have done for this community.

After the ribbon cutting, Thomas thanked the community:

“Honestly, I have goosebumps. It’s incredibly rewarding. It’s hard to believe that it’s been since 2010. I’m just so very grateful for the community engagement, and I don’t think you would find engagement to this extent in many communities.” – Alice Thomas of Save the Depot, KYMN News Audio

View the video of the ribbon-cutting ceremony here (from Northfield Public Broadcasting)

View KYMN’s Photo Gallery of the Ribbon Cutting here


Newscasts on KYMN air on weekdays at 6am, 7am, 8:30am, Noon, 3pm, and 5pm. If you miss it live, you can subscribe on your preferred podcast app:
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