Rock Rapids, Iowa — If you are a railroad buff, or just someone who enjoys history — this story is for you.
We are told that an old depot building is in danger of being torn down in Rock Rapids. Just a point of clarification — we are NOT talking about the Lyon County Historical Society Depot Musem near Island Park in Rock Rapids. That building was on the Rock Island tracks, and is owned by the historical society and houses a museum of railroad and local antiques. The building we are referring to is about sixty years newer and is located in a different part of town.
The former Illinois Central depot was built in the 1940s and is located on the property of the Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities, two blocks south of the downtown stoplight. It replaced an older wooden depot that was built when the railroad came to town in the 1880s. They tell us the small brick building has been used to store small items since the Illinois Central Railroad left Rock Rapids in the early 1980s.
Rock Rapids Municipal Utilities General Manager Jim Hoye says they’ve been trying to get someone to take it for years.
He says they’ve tried the normal entities that you’d think of when trying to save a building such as this, but they’ve had no takers.
But Hoye says, perhaps someone would want it for a commercial venture. He says it would make an interesting building for a café, a bar, or something of that nature.
According to Hoye, they want to build a large storage building on the site to house utility trucks, backhoes, transformers, and similar items, which they are now forced to store outdoors.
Hoye says, unfortunately if no one comes forward in the next two to three months, they will have to tear the building down, as they’d like to start construction on the new storage building this summer.
If you are interested in the building, Hoye says you can call him at 712-472-2511 or email jhoye@rockrapids.net.
