The M. & St. L. Depot

Aberdeen is quite fortunate to have depots still standing from all four significant railroad companies that passed through here. In fact, they are the reason we got our Hub City nickname. The last railroad company with their eye on Aberdeen was the Minneapolis and St. Louis, and they started eyeing spots for a grand depot in 1906. Their timing was very close to that of the Great Northern that opened a depot east of the courthouse in February of 1907. Bids for the Minneapolis and St. Louis depot were let in March of 1907 and by October it was in full use. M. & St. L. would be the last of four railroad companies to set up shop in the Hub City.

The M. & St. L., as people called it, located their depot far away from the bustling downtown, nearly 12 blocks from the Milwaukee tracks. Imagine yet another set of tracks dividing the town, as the M. & St. L.’s did. It crossed Main Street, then made a sharp curve south running right beside Northen State University’s campus adjacent to Washington Street. The tracks are gone, but many remember steep humps in the side streets around NSU from the track grade. 

The depot was intended to be a swanky passenger depot, which it served as until 1949. It was later purchased by the Chicago Northwestern Railroad, and they utilized the freight area and leased out the depot to businesses. After 1960 it went into private hands and became the infamous Depot Nightclub along with a variety of other businesses. 

It continued to fall into disrepair until the owner at the time sought demolition of the depot in 2011. Despite the building being on the National Register of Historic Places, demolition was still pursued. A couple years later, Tom Hurlbert and his company CO-OP Architecture bought the building from a developer planning to build apartments on the property. They sought Tax Increment Financing as an incentive to restore the depot as an events center and build an apartment complex behind it. Historic restoration began in 2015 with the removal of the freight portion of the depot building. 

Large pieces of transportation art were added that are actually sound dampeners to reduce echo.

Much had to be done to the depot to stabilize it, replace utilities, and fix floors, walls, roofs, etc. It was a monumental task. Upon 80% completion, Joshua Bowen and his business partners (3 Star Properties) purchased the depot from CO-OP and completed the interior renovation to include office space for Legacy Financial Partners of Ameriprise Financial. Upon completion, Legacy Financial Partners moved their offices into the professional space in the front of the building, while CO-OP leased space in the back of the building, creating a more industrial but very creative space. 

I reached out to Joshua Bowen of Legacy Financial Partners and asked if we could feature their building, and he was eager to show me around. I had no idea what to expect and was totally impressed with the remnants of the decorative depot still intact throughout the spaces. The eroded plaster details were stabilized in some areas and removed in others, and the white subway tile was pristinely restored. It’s hard to believe all these details survived over 100 years and a night club scene. 

Another thing I didn’t expect at all is that the place is a museum. Bowen said his father continues to find artifacts from the M. & St. L. Railroad, and they always find a place to display them. Eventually other people started dropping off artifacts from other area railroads as well. Bowen can explain the uses of the tools and equipment they keep out in the open for all to see. Bowen’s dad also provided handwritten note cards for each artifact describing what it is and what railroad it’s from. Lastly, many of the tables that hold artifacts were constructed of lumber salvaged from other depots. 

Touring the back half of the building reveals even more details and unique spaces. CO-OP Architecture is still in the building and have utilized the spaces very creatively. Of note is the second floor with exposed rafters and high ceiling. There is no plaster detailing in this part of the building but the exposed infrastructure and utilities, make for a very metro-feeling workspace.

It’s a depot, it’s an office, it’s a museum. But, best of all, it’s a restored, preserved Aberdeen landmark that will surely be utilized for a long time yet to come. Hats off to CO-OP for their vision and dedication, and kudos to 3 Star Properties for keeping the building lively, attractive and contributing to Aberdeen’s Hub City legend. //

 Thanks to Joshua Bowen of Legacy Financial Partners, Ameriprise Financial and Spencer Sommers from CO-OP Architecture for helping with this story.