By Eric Berger
KEOKUK, Iowa–All but hidden from public view between the tree-lined banks of the Mississippi River and the rails of the Keokuk Junction Railway lies the architectural gem that is Keokuk Union Depot. The organization working to restore the historic structure to its original 1891 appearance recently announced receipt of grant which brings them within $7,000 of the amount it needs to raise by June 30 to receive a $275,000 matching grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation.
The $4,847 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation is for consulting services to research and design period lighting for the depot’s waiting room interior, one of many components of the $825,000 waiting room restoration project launched in 2020, and for which the fundraising match deadline of June 30 is rapidly approaching.
The station may have been the last building designed by John Wellborn Root of Burnham & Root, Chicago’s premiere 19th Century architectural firm, an early leader in the construction of skyscrapers and large buildings which also designed many railroad stations. Root died in 1891 in the midst of planning his greatest triumph, Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
Though success allowed Root to experiment with original designs free of European or other influences, this station features Romanesque Revival styling often found in many of his designs, with rounded masonry arches surrounding doorways and windows and a tall central tower amid the high-pitched components of its complex hip roof. That tower was lopped off 24 feet below its original 64-foot height after a 1937 fire, with the original clay roof tiles soon to follow, replaced by shingles.
Originally serving trains from five competing railroads, it was down to one when the last scheduled passenger train left the station in 1967. It enjoyed a revival in the early years of the Keokuk Junction Railway when the public was invited to return for excursion trains and trolley car rides. Initial restoration of the waiting room occurred in 1991, but progress on the building ended with the 1996 acquisition of KJRY by Pioneer Rail, which used it primarily for storage.
It was a modified, weatherworn and flood-washed remnant of its former self that was acquired by the City of Keokuk in 2011, the year the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A subsequent architectural study in 2012 led to plans for an as-built restoration and the incorporation of the non-profit Keokuk Union Depot Foundation to raise funds toward that goal. Due to the success of that entity and substantial assistance from the Jeffris Family Foundation, the rebuilding of the roof with its original tower design and roof tiles was completed in 2018.
Other completed projects include restoration of the depot’s unique turtleback trackside canopy, cleaning of exterior brick walls, and researching and ordering the sandstone sills to replace the crumbling originals. Restoration of the exterior brick walls from the foundation to waist level is in progress.
Donations may be sent to KUDF at P.O. Box 463, Keokuk, IA 52632 or visit the website at keokukuniondepot.org/foundation.html