--A “Cougar Special” train arrives from the Seattle/Tacoma area at the Northern Pacific Railroad depot in 1920 in Pullman. Thousands of WSU students traveled across the state on these trains after the depot’s brick building opened March 9, 1917.
--This 1915 photo shows the wooden depot that was constructed in 1901, located east of Grand Avenue along Missouri Flat Creek, after the Northern Pacific Railroad depot was moved closer to the tracks to help commuters avoid walking in the mud.
--This photo shows the Northern Pacific Railroad depot's brick building, which opened March 9, 1917, in Pullman.
--This photo shows the Pufferbelly Depot in its current state at the corner of North Grand Avenue and Northeast Whitman Street in Pullman.
From
Whitman County Historical Society NEWSLETTER Vol. 45, No. 2 – 2018 (Apparently mailed April 2018).
PULLMAN
DEPOT PURCHASED
Additional
good news was announced in mid-February when the Whitman County Historical
Society acquired the historic Northern Pacific Railroad Depot in Pullman. This
iconic downtown building is a symbol of Pullman’s rich heritage. The Society
decided that its purchase would enable the preservation of the building as a
historical site, leading to an eventual railroad and Pullman history museum
The depot
was recently owned by the late Dan Antoni. His daughter, Meghan, who inherited
the property, was seeking a way to preserve it. Contact was made with the
Society about the possible purchase and discussions followed. The acquisition
was made possible with an anonymous local backer stepped forward and negotiated
with Ms. Antoni to secure the property for the Historical Society.
The Board
appointed Kathy Meyer and Linda Hackbarth as co-chairs of a steering committee
to 1) raise funds to repay the loan and finance future development of the
museum, 2) plan for the future use of the facility and its administration, and
3) move forward on needed renovations and improvement.
Anyone
interested in serving on this steering committee is urged to contact Linda (lindahackbarth39@gmail.com) or
Kathy (klmeyer@gmail.com). Much help
will be needed to make this museum a reality.
::::
Dan Antoni
died of a heart attack at age 63 on Dec. 30, 2015. His obituary appeared in the Sept. 3, 2016, Moscow Pullman Daily News. The obit included that he was born in
Portland and graduated from David Douglas High School in Portland and the University
of Oregon in Eugene. "In the late '70s/early '80s, Dan moved to Pullman
and fell in love with its small-town charm. Dan worked as a substitute math and
science teacher at Lincoln Middle school, owned and operated two restaurants:
Barley & Hopps bar on campus and Chovies submarine shop downtown before
finding his true calling in real estate."
::::::::::
Nearby
History: WCHS purchases historic Northern Pacific Railroad depot
By Linda
Hackbarth
Moscow
Pullman Daily News, April 14, 2018
(Linda
Hackbarth is the webmaster and newsletter editor for the Whitman County
Historical Society.)
The
Whitman County Historical Society jumped on the unique opportunity to purchase
the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot in Pullman when it became known a sale was
imminent.
The
building was renamed the Pufferbelly Depot after the late Dan Antoni bought it
in 1988. Antoni turned a portion into his real estate office and rented the
eastern side to the vehicle licensing department. He added three Pullman cars,
a locomotive and a Great Northern caboose, all of which he placed on rails next
to the building. His daughter, Meghan Antoni, inherited the property and was
seeking a way to preserve it. Contact was made with WCHS about the possible
purchase, and discussions followed. The acquisition became feasible when an
anonymous local donor stepped forward and negotiated with Meghan Antoni to
secure the entire holdings for the historical society.
WCHS,
organized in 1972, purchased and restored the Perkins House and cabin in Colfax
as one of its first efforts. Its acquisition of the depot adds to its inventory
of historic sites in the county, including two buildings in Palouse - the Roy
Chatters Newspaper and Print Museum and the Trinity Chapel. The historical
society also operates the WCHS Archive in the Gladish Community Center in
Pullman, has partnered with the Lost Apple Project, offers full-day field trips
for schoolchildren at the Jones Schoolhouse on the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds
and publishes a quarterly newsletter and a journal of local history called The
Bunchgrass Historian. The Board of Directors believes the iconic downtown depot
has the potential to evolve into a wonderful railroad and Pullman history
museum.
The
history of the building dates back to the late 1800s and ties directly to the
story of how Pullman got its name. The Spokane & Palouse Railroad, which
became the Northern Pacific, came to Pullman in 1887, two years after the
arrival of Oregon Railway and Navigation Company tracks. OR&N later morphed
into Burlington Northern and finally Union Pacific. Both railroads built depots
to serve the community - the Union Pacific on the south side of the Palouse
River and the Northern Pacific on the north - just a block apart. In 1901, the
NP Depot was relocated a bit closer to the tracks when commuters became tired
of walking through the mud to meet the trains. A spot east of Grand Avenue and
along Missouri Flat Creek became its permanent site. A 32-by-160-foot frame
building was constructed, complete with waiting rooms for both ladies and
gentlemen, a baggage room and a large freight room. A nearby house was acquired
for the railroad agent.
This
building was razed and replaced by the more than 7,000-square-foot brick
structure that exists today. The formal opening on March 9, 1917, attracted a
large crowd, including dignitaries from the railroad company. Over the years,
thousands of WSU students traveled back and forth from Seattle and Tacoma via
"Cougar Special" trains. "Why not get together with your friends
who are going back to college and make up your own little group to travel
together on the Cougar Special?" asked a 1935 NP brochure. The depot
continued to be used until 1970, when passenger service was discontinued. It
then served as offices for the Soil Conservation District until purchased by
Antoni.
The
Historical Society appointed board members Kathy Meyer and myself to co-chair
an exploratory steering committee to raise funds to repay the loan and finance
development of the museum, plan for the present and future use of the facility
and its administration, and move forward on needed renovations and
improvements. These women are in the process of gathering the committee.
"We
invite all railroad buffs, historic preservation enthusiasts, potential museum
planners and general Pullman lovers to join us," they added. "Come to
our first meeting Thursday, April 19, 2018, 6:30 p.m. in the Hecht Room at
Neill Public Library."
For
further information on how to support this effort or become a member of the
steering committee, you are encouraged to contact the following: Kathy Meyer at
(509) 334-9089 or klemeyer@gmail.com; me, Linda Hackbarth, at (208) 627-3460 or
lindahackbarth39@gmail.com; and Jon Anderson, WCHS treasurer, at (509) 595-1427
or jpacpa@pullman.com.
::::::::::::::::::
PULLMAN’S
TWO RAILROAD DEPOT, ACROSS GRAND AVENUE FROM EACH OTHER
--Address
for Pullman’s Northern Pacific Depot is 330 N Grand Ave. In addition to Grand,
it is on or near Northeast Whitman and Kamiaken Streets.
--Address
for Pullman’s Union Pacific Depot (now Umpqua Bank) is 225 N Grand Ave. In
addition to Grand, it is on or near Northwest Davis Way and Northwest State
Street.
::::::::::::::::::
Pullman trains see growing pains
Whitman County Historical Society takes aim at a new restoration project in downtown Pullman: The historic ‘Pufferbelly’ Depot
By Scott Jackson
Moscow Pullman Daily News
Apr 19, 2018
The old Pufferbelly Depot — constructed in 1917 and operational until 1970 — has been sagging into a state of disrepair on the edge of Pullman’s downtown for years, but it could soon be the site of a massive restoration effort if the Whitman County Historical Society can raise the necessary money.
A steering committee will meet today to decide what must be done to convert the entire property into a museum.
WCHS purchased the former Northern Pacific Depot in early March with the help of a $300,000 loan from an anonymous donor, those close to the project say.
“If we want to get historic status for it, we’re going to have to renovate it back to more of its original condition,” Linda Hackbarth, co-chair of the steering committee, said. “Eventually, we’ll have to strip everything down to see what original stuff is here before we can start any restoration process.”
Hackbarth said while there may be grants available for projects concerning historic buildings, WCHS will try to raise most of the necessary money through donations in a public fund drive. She said she hopes to secure at least $1 million for renovations, but some on the steering committee speculate it may take as much as $2 million to $3 million to fully restore the property.
“The question is, how much do you have to raise before you get something going so people see?” Hackbarth said.
She said a rigorous fundraising effort is required to renovate the space.
“You don’t want to be trying to nickel and dime to raise money over five years,” Hackbarth said.
The early work of clearing out relatively recent alterations to the space will be a major first step, Hackbarth said, and it will include tearing down drywall and removing a false ceiling. Hackbarth said the west wing of the structure would likely host the majority of museum operations, leaving room for creative ideas on how to use the remaining space. Annette Pettenger, also on the steering committee, said ideally, the museum would feature both the history of rail and the local history of the city of Pullman.
A lingering question, Hackbarth said, is what to do with the three water-warped railcars abutting the building that were previously converted into living and office spaces. She said the false tracks on which the cars now rest were built by late owner Dan Antoni, on what was once a herringbone brick platform for passengers. She said Antoni, who purchased the depot in 1988, bought the cars in the early 2000s from an outfit based in Portland, had them towed to the site by rail and used a crane to place them on his false tracks. The last car was installed in 2002, she said, and the engine car near the front was brought in during 2008. Antoni died in December 2015.
“The unfortunate thing is, when Dan brought the trains in, he set them right next (to the depot) — so it takes all the light out of the building,” Hackbarth said. “From the viewpoint of town, they cover the whole building, so you can’t see the building from the front side.”
Restoring the railcars themselves will be an ambitious undertaking. Hackbarth said previous renovations were done on the cheap and, as a result of poorly installed windows, mold began to take hold. Hackbarth said she was told not to take a deep breath while inside. She said this might be an exaggeration, but large black swaths of mold can be spied creeping along wall surfaces in the two foremost cars.
“At this point, we’re thinking possibly cannibalizing three and making one decent one,” Hackbarth said.
She said the current tenants, which includes Assurance Driving School and Puffin Glass Studios, will be allowed to stay for the foreseeable future, but may have to leave when restoration begins.
Hackbarth said she hopes to draw interest from the community once residents recognize the historic station’s potential. If done right, she said, a modern, well-planned museum could be just what the city needs.
“It’s a wonderful location for downtown, and I think it could be a real draw to downtown,” Hackbarth said. “This will be such a massive project that this will stand, eventually, independently with its own board of directors and staff for whatever is needed down the line.”
The steering committee’s first meeting is at 6:30 p.m. today in the Hecht Room of the Neill Public Library. It is open to the public.
::::::::::::::::::
Pullman trains see growing pains
Whitman County Historical Society takes aim at a new restoration project in downtown Pullman: The historic ‘Pufferbelly’ Depot
By Scott Jackson
Moscow Pullman Daily News
Apr 19, 2018
The old Pufferbelly Depot — constructed in 1917 and operational until 1970 — has been sagging into a state of disrepair on the edge of Pullman’s downtown for years, but it could soon be the site of a massive restoration effort if the Whitman County Historical Society can raise the necessary money.
A steering committee will meet today to decide what must be done to convert the entire property into a museum.
WCHS purchased the former Northern Pacific Depot in early March with the help of a $300,000 loan from an anonymous donor, those close to the project say.
“If we want to get historic status for it, we’re going to have to renovate it back to more of its original condition,” Linda Hackbarth, co-chair of the steering committee, said. “Eventually, we’ll have to strip everything down to see what original stuff is here before we can start any restoration process.”
Hackbarth said while there may be grants available for projects concerning historic buildings, WCHS will try to raise most of the necessary money through donations in a public fund drive. She said she hopes to secure at least $1 million for renovations, but some on the steering committee speculate it may take as much as $2 million to $3 million to fully restore the property.
“The question is, how much do you have to raise before you get something going so people see?” Hackbarth said.
She said a rigorous fundraising effort is required to renovate the space.
“You don’t want to be trying to nickel and dime to raise money over five years,” Hackbarth said.
The early work of clearing out relatively recent alterations to the space will be a major first step, Hackbarth said, and it will include tearing down drywall and removing a false ceiling. Hackbarth said the west wing of the structure would likely host the majority of museum operations, leaving room for creative ideas on how to use the remaining space. Annette Pettenger, also on the steering committee, said ideally, the museum would feature both the history of rail and the local history of the city of Pullman.
A lingering question, Hackbarth said, is what to do with the three water-warped railcars abutting the building that were previously converted into living and office spaces. She said the false tracks on which the cars now rest were built by late owner Dan Antoni, on what was once a herringbone brick platform for passengers. She said Antoni, who purchased the depot in 1988, bought the cars in the early 2000s from an outfit based in Portland, had them towed to the site by rail and used a crane to place them on his false tracks. The last car was installed in 2002, she said, and the engine car near the front was brought in during 2008. Antoni died in December 2015.
“The unfortunate thing is, when Dan brought the trains in, he set them right next (to the depot) — so it takes all the light out of the building,” Hackbarth said. “From the viewpoint of town, they cover the whole building, so you can’t see the building from the front side.”
Restoring the railcars themselves will be an ambitious undertaking. Hackbarth said previous renovations were done on the cheap and, as a result of poorly installed windows, mold began to take hold. Hackbarth said she was told not to take a deep breath while inside. She said this might be an exaggeration, but large black swaths of mold can be spied creeping along wall surfaces in the two foremost cars.
“At this point, we’re thinking possibly cannibalizing three and making one decent one,” Hackbarth said.
She said the current tenants, which includes Assurance Driving School and Puffin Glass Studios, will be allowed to stay for the foreseeable future, but may have to leave when restoration begins.
Hackbarth said she hopes to draw interest from the community once residents recognize the historic station’s potential. If done right, she said, a modern, well-planned museum could be just what the city needs.
“It’s a wonderful location for downtown, and I think it could be a real draw to downtown,” Hackbarth said. “This will be such a massive project that this will stand, eventually, independently with its own board of directors and staff for whatever is needed down the line.”
The steering committee’s first meeting is at 6:30 p.m. today in the Hecht Room of the Neill Public Library. It is open to the public.
