| Peoria | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Former Rock Island Line passenger rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Style: | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Address: | 32 Liberty Street, Peoria, Illinois 61602 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened: | 1899 - 1900 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed: | 1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The Rock Island Depot and Freight House is a two-story railroad station and adjacent one-story freight house from the turn of the 20th century. It was constructed in 1899 directly besides the Illinois River in the American city of Peoria, Illinois. The depot and freight house are one of Peoria's last remaining historic reminders of the importance of passenger trains in the city's past, the other being the newer (1967) Rock Island station at 121 Morton Street now owned by the City of Peoria.[1] The depot was built by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad as the terminus of a major branch line that delivered significant goods and passengers to Peoria. The 1900 opening of the depot was attended by "throngs of populous;" at its height before the depression of the 1880s, Peoria was a transportation hub.[1] The station's clock tower was removed in 1939.[2] The buildings were listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The last Rock Island train out of the station was the Peoria Rocket in 1978, of the company's Rock Island Rockets series.
After the end of train service, the building became known as River Station, and has been a restaurant, and afterwards a set of restaurants and bars. Currently the building is occupied by Martinis On Water Street, and The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern. It is adjacent to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.