Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Station

The Rio Grande Depot was a shot fired in a railroad war. George Gould, trying to stitch together a transcontinental system to challenge the mighty Union Pacific, built this grand Beaux Arts station in 1910 — three-quarters of a million dollars of Chicago-designed splendor — to serve his Denver and Rio Grande and Western Pacific lines. It rose just a year after the Union Pacific's own depot three blocks north, the two stations facing off across the city. Gould's empire faltered, but his depot endured; today it holds the state's historical archives.

What the plaque says

This railroad station was constructed between 1908 and 1910 to serve the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and the Western Pacific Railroad. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was completed between Denver and Salt Lake City in March 1883, and the Western Pacific between Salt Lake City and Oakland, California, in August 1910. Designed by architect Henry J. Schlachs of Chicago, Illinois, the building cost a reported $750,000 and is characterized by elements of Beaux Arts Classicism and Renaissance Revival architectural styles. Completed in 1910, one year after construction of the Union Pacific Station three blocks to the North, this railroad station was an important element in the attempt by George Gould to develop a transcontinental railroad system to compete with the Union Pacific. In 1977 the building was given to the State of Utah. It has been occupied by the Utah State Historical Society since December 1980.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Temple Square — 0.9 mi
  The spiritual and architectural heart of Salt Lake City
• Salt Lake City — 0.9 mi
  Utah's capital and largest city — where the Wasatch Range meets the Great Salt Lake.
• Liberty Park — 2.0 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• Ensign Peak — 2.1 mi
  A short hike to the spot where Brigham Young surveyed the valley

More markers nearby

• Park (Rio Grande) Hotel — steps away
• Henderson Block — steps away
• Central Warehouse Building — steps away
• First Pioneer Fort in Valley PTLA #23 — steps away