Milwaukee Road Depot enters next fundraising phase as donations sought to renovate Charles City structure

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

In October 2021, the historic Milwaukee Road Depot was saved from threatened demolition when it was lifted from its site along Canadian Pacific tracks in Charles City and moved several blocks south to its new home at 1010 N. Grand Ave.

The move was made possible by a fundraising campaign that drew contributions from the Charles City community and beyond, including several major gifts that helped raise the total amount donated for the move to almost $400,000

This spring the Depot Committee and the American Passenger Train History Museum are launching the next phase of fundraising, working to raise nearly twice that amount to renovate the structure and make it available to be used again.

“Over the past year work was done on the foundation and landscaping and entrance steps were installed,” according to information provided by the fundraising group. “Now the time has come to begin major interior and exterior reconstruction,” it said.

The extensive work will involve installing new heating, ventilating, air conditioning, electrical and plumbing systems. There will need to be roofing, soffit and tuck pointing on the exterior as well as insulation, window, door and flooring restoration, the group said.

In addition, final landscaping, sidewalks and a small parking lot will be required.

“The estimated depot renovation costs in this fast-changing construction environment are $768,000,” the group said. “This phase of the project will result in a fully functional depot building.”

“We are aggressively seeking grants to assist with the project,” said Ralph Smith, a member of the committee. “In 2022, we were pleased to receive a $150,000 reimbursement grant from the Iowa Arts Council of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. But since it is a ‘reimbursement,’ we must raise funds to front the costs before the grant is awarded.”

Most grants available require a local match of up to 60% of the amount requested. Granting agencies look closely at the level of local donations and involvement in deciding which projects to support, he said.

Smith’s father, Jim Smith, who died in 2022 just short of his 100th birthday, was a strong supporter of the efforts to save and refurbish the depot, Ralph said.

To honor that desire, Jim Smith’s family has offered to kick off the renovations fundraising effort by matching all donations made until Sept. 1, up to $100,000, Ralph said.

He said his father’s interest in saving the depot from demolition came from his memories of trips in the early 1940s to attend college in Ohio and his departure at dawn in 1943 to begin his training and naval service in World War II.

Jim Smith himself had donated $100,000 in the first phase of fundraising to move the depot, to match other donations up to that amount.

Instead of putting his name on a plaque, his father wanted to dedicate a room in the renovated depot to all who got on trains in cities and towns like Charles City to serve in the armed forces, Ralph Smith said.

An inscription will read: “This room is dedicated to all the young men and women who departed from this depot and others like it throughout the nation in service to their country.”

The renovated depot will provide a multi-purpose facility that will serve as a trailhead for the Charlie Western Trailway, a unique venue for meetings and events, and the welcome center for the American Passenger Train History Museum, the fundraising group said.

“The facility will provide parking, restrooms and relaxation space for cyclists and walkers, active seniors and families using the recreational path. It will be available for group meetings, family gatherings, weddings and events year-round as well as containing display space for the passenger train museum,” the group said.

A small theater behind the depot will be available for presenting films about the trains on display. In the warmer months of the year, the trains will be open for visitors to explore as part of their train museum experience.

The planned renovations will make the depot a community asset and a tourism destination for people interested in exploring passenger train history, as well as for users of the trail, the group said.

“With the display of a complete passenger train, the museum will be the only one of its kind in the country attracting visitors locally, regionally and even nationally to Charles City,” it said.

The American Passenger Train History Museum is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the American passenger train as a historical object and a teaching tool, and to display refurbished train sets which will allow children and visitors to see what a train would have been like in its heyday.

Donations can be made via PayPal at https://www.apthm.org, to the Save the Depot Fund at First Security Bank, or by check made out to The American Passenger Train History Museum at P.O. Box 683, Charles City, Iowa 50616.