Great Falls station explained

Great Falls
Type:Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station
Style:Milwaukee Road
Address:101 River Drive, Great Falls, Montana 59401
Opened:1908
Rebuilt:1915
Nrhp:
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Passenger Depot
Embed:yes
Coordinates:47.5072°N -111.3086°W
Location:Central Avenue and River Drive North
Great Falls, Montana
Built:1915
Architect:J.A. Lindstrand
Architecture:Mission Revival
Added:October 13, 1988
Refnum:88001119

The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Passenger Depot, located in Great Falls, Montana, was built in 1915 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as The Milwaukee Road). The Milwaukee Road was the last transcontinental railroad that entered Montana in 1907–1908 as a part of its "Pacific Extension".

The depot is a two-story brick building that includes a 135-foot tower. The building is rectangular in shape. The first floor held the waiting rooms, station agent's office and baggage rooms. Railroad offices were located on the second floor. It was designed by architect J. A. Lindstrand, who also designed the Milwaukee Depot in Missoula, Montana.

The depot continued to serve the local community until the mid-1960s. The Milwaukee Road then ceased passenger service. After the railroad's bankruptcy, the building sat vacant until it was converted into a retail mall in the 1970s. The mall closed in the early 1980s. In 1988, the building was converted into an office building.

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