Southern - Knoxville Depot

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The Southern Depot, in downtown Knoxville, was built in 1903.  Southern Railway Company Architect, Frank Pierce Milburn, designed the building, which combines modern engineering with historical design.

The original building had a magnificent Gothic clock tower with four spires, four clock faces, and a semi-conical spire surrounded by four spirelets.  Described in a book entitled Knoxville, the building is gabled bricks with a pink marble foundation.  The central hall had marble floors, with fumed oak wainscoting on steamboat stairs that led to the waiting room and baggage counter.  Creekmore quotes an inscription that is etched above the waiting room fireplace:  Be ye not unmindful to entertain strangers." 

The first floor doors and windows have an arched stone hood molding.  The second floor features transom windows. The tile roof features stepped gables with three casements windows.  The two chimneys visible in the first postcard have been removed.

Another description, in Heart of the Valley, portrays the building as having "rich classical ornamentation, from balustrades and urns to elaborate Corinthian and composite porticos."  

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As shown in this photo, because the depot is located in a "deep ravine," a walkway with stone arched abutments was built to connect the second floor of the depot to Depot street. 

The Knoxville Depot was bustling and busy in the early days, boasting as many as 26 daily passenger trains.  As with most depots, business waned as the highways were constructed.  In Heart of the Valley - A History of Knoxville, Tennessee, the demise of passenger service began as early as the 1920s with the development of automobiles.  Forced by government regulation to provide the service, Southern reduced their schedules by half.  While World War II was a boon for the railroad, by the 1950s, Southern stopped all locals in Knoxville, but maintained expresses.  By 1968, with permission from the Tennessee Public Service Commission, Southern dropped all regular passenger trains.  The last day of passenger service was August 12, 1970, and the last train was Train #8, The Birmingham Special.  

The Depot was sold by Southern in 1983, but is still standing and beautifully maintained as a commercial venue at 306 West Depot Street.  The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 2003.

Southern - Knoxville Depot