On your way to visit the Grand Canyon, start with the Grand Canyon Depot
The Grand Canyon Railway is a log and wood-frame building with a central section two-and-a-half stories in height and additions to the east and west each one-and-a-half stories. The structure’s foundation is concrete. The intersecting gable roofs are finished with green-painted asbestos shingles. The south gable end frames the Santa Fe logo near the ridge, with the identifying “Grand Canyon” name below in green copper lettering. Centered below that on the bottom floor is a log bay projecting out from the building’s center, covered by a small gable roof. The baggage loading platform and baggage room are at the east end of the depot. The waiting platform and ticket booth are at the west end. The front facade faces south and overlooks the remaining tracks.
The structural details of the log construction are unique. The logs are squared on three edges creating bearing surfaces and flat interior surfaces. The bottom sides of each log are routed to hold wood strips wrapped in building paper which drapes between the logs and over the faces of the lower logs. The squared logs are drawn tightly together at the corners and again lined with building paper. Building corners in the main two-story portion are finished with peeled log posts. Log brackets on the upper story support the roof whose gable ends extend out two feet from the second story. The shadows cast by the long eaves and overhangs reinforce the building’s horizontal emphasis. The building logs and shingles are stained dark brown. Paired log posts support the roof over the passenger-loading area. The log framing of the roof structure above it is exposed.
The first floor of the building contains the historic waiting room, ticket office, restrooms, baggage room, and various other public and work spaces. The floor is scored concrete. The log-slab wainscoting and molding around the doors and windows contributes to the building’s rustic quality. The floors in the residential unit are wood, with linoleum finishes in the kitchen, pantry, and bath. The walls are plaster.
All original doors remain and are either solid planks with wrought-iron bolts and hardware, or glazed or solid with multiple wood inset panels.
A new Victorian-style depot was designed by a railway employee in 1907, but it was never built. Wilson’s railway depot was built in 1909-1910. The original copper logo on the front elevation spelling out “Grand Canon” were corrected to read “Grand Canyon” by 1911. A storm vestibule and small ticket office of log-slab siding were added to the west end of the building under the covered passenger platform in 1929. That same season, the iron fence was built at the east and west ends of the Grand Canyon Railroad depot to enclose the railroad yard. Asbestos shingles, replacing the original wood shingles, were installed on the roofs in 1940. The floor plan was modified in 1949 to allow changes in the women’s restroom.
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