Two consultants presented a multi-use concept, including railcars as hotel rooms, a microbrewery and a Route 66 room, for the long-abandoned Union Depot in Joplin, Missouri, in the hope of drawing developers that can resurrect the declining historical site.
The consultants from Kansas State University and South Dakota State University gave the concept in front of the Downtown Joplin Alliance last week, according to the Joplin Globe. Ideas for the depot also came from a community input session, meeting with community leaders and looking over data from surveys.
Though the century-old depot still is structurally sound, city officials say something must be done with it in a few years, or else it might be irreparable. Union Depot has been closed for about 50 years.
One of the concepts for the property:
- A restaurant or bakery in the east wing. Another section might house a microbrewery or coffeehouse.
- A flexible-use space that might be used for music performances or as a rental for weddings or parties.
- Offices on the second floor with a rooftop or outdoor patio.
- A bicycle-rental site with a trailhead to connect to cycling and walking trails.
- A room that celebrates Joplin’s Route 66 history.
- Restored rail cars east of the depot for lodging.
Joplin Union Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places 50 years ago, the first structure in the city to earn that designation.
In 2021, it was listed on Missouri’s “Places in Peril” by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation.
Union Depot is off North Main Street (aka bypass Route 66 from the 1930s to 1955) and West A Street on the city’s north side.
The Broadway alignment of Route 66 also runs just south of the property.
(Image of Joplin Union Depot in Joplin, Missouri, by Kelly via Flickr)