The Santa Fe Depot is a much loved and unique community treasure.
In the sections below, you will find information related to the Depot's origin, prior uses, ownership, as well as current restoration activities. 

Ongoing Restoration Activities
Please come back weekly to check on the latest construction updates.

Week of April 22, 2024
The City's restoration architect, GH2, met with the construction company, Downey Contracting, to discuss the stamped concrete for the site drainage improvements. In addition, the roofers continued installing the clay tiles.

Weeks of April 8 and April 15, 2024
This week, the roofers started laying clay tiles onto the rehabilitated sections of the Depot roof. 

Week of April 1, 2024
The stone masons finished the tuck pointing work on the east side and the tower.  The new mortar was matched to the previous mortar in both color and composition; the current difference in appearance will fade overtime and be eliminated as part of the future, second phase of the Depot restoration. The construction crew also finished replacing beams and re-stained the decking inside the Santa Fe Depot.

Week of March 25, 2024
The remaining sections of clay tiles were removed. It was determined that additional custom-made decking is required in several areas across the roof. The roofing contractor ordered the decking from the manufacturer, and it is anticipated to arrive at the end of April. Roofing activities will likely slow down until the custom-made decking is on hand. In addition, the masons completed the majority of the tuck-point masonry work on the front of the building. 

Week of March 18, 2024
Roofing crews continued removing clay tiles, now also including the tiles over the center portion of the depot. The masons have begun tuck pointing the masonry on the southern end of the building, which will likely continue through this week as well as next.
Just as a side note, if you see a tarp covering exposed areas, that is done to protect the exposed roof decking and rafters as well as the interior from potential rain.

(Picture courtesy of Pottawatomie County Historical Society)

Week of March 11, 2024
Crews began removing clay tiles on the northern portion of the building and started repairs to the decking and rafters. The masons cleaned the mortar joints on the parapet portion of the walls in preparation for future repointing of the masonry.

(Picture courtesy of Pottawatomie County Historical Society)

Week of March 4, 2024
Crews installed the construction fencing.

(Picture courtesy of Ed Bolt)

Project Award
On December 18, 2023, the City Commission approved the $1,286,000 project award (well above the $400,000 amount originally set aside in the 2018 half-cent sales tax) for the Santa Fe Depot Roof and Exterior Rehabilitation.  Below is the list of what is included in the current construction project.
 
A. The roof, drainage system, and stone parapets will be completely rehabilitated, and the Depot roof will be water-tight:

• All roof tiles will come off and will be inspected. 
• Existing roof decking will be removed and replaced. 
• A new roofing weather barrier will be installed.
• Existing as well as new tiles will be re-installed.
• Inlaid flashing will be removed, repaired, and replaced.
• Sidewall flashing (where the roof tiles are adjacent to the stone parapets) will be removed and replaced.
• The mortar for the stone parapets (which give the Depot its unique look) will be completely repointed/redone.
• The existing copper downspouts, valleys, gutters, and overflow scuppers will be repaired and resoldered.
• All subsurface drain lines will be scoped to ensure their functionality.
• The metal roof for the covered breezeway will be removed and replaced with a membrane roofing system.
• The damaged wood bead board at the covered breezeway and the damaged wood bead board in the main vaulted entry room will be removed, replaced, and refinished.

 
B. In addition, the outside areas adjacent to the Depot will be redone:

• The area around the Depot will be properly sloped to facilitate drainage of rainwater.
• The spalled concrete will be removed, and new concrete will be installed, with the appropriate slope for drainage and required expansion joints.
• The existing brick masonry paving will be salvaged where possible and, in parts, replaced with stamped concrete, replicating existing pattern and color. 

While the first phase of the Depot restoration will result in a water-tight roof and proper site drainage, additional funding will be needed for additional masonry work, windows, and doors, as well as the interior restoration of the Depot. City staff is already looking for grants and other funding sources.

Railroad Era
The Santa Fe Depot was built in 1903 and 1904 and operated as railway depot until 1973. After ceasing to function as a railroad asset, the building was placed on National Register of Historic Place in June 1974 (National Register, enter Ref. # 74001667), and it has been there ever since.



The Depot’s first floor encompasses 3,300 square feet and includes ticketing, baggage, general waiting areas, and a ladies’ waiting area, as well as restrooms. The Depot also possesses a 900 square foot step-down Express Room, for a total of 4,200 square feet in total usable floor space.

In April 1977, the City of Shawnee acquired the Depot building and leased the land premises on which the building sits from the Atchinson, Topeka, Santa Fe Railway Company.

Home of the Historic Museum 
In October 1978, the City of Shawnee began leasing the Depot and surrounding premises to the Pottawatomie County Historical Society. The 1978 lease required the Pottawatomie County Historical Society to keep the Depot and premises in good repair.

Between 1982 and 2020, the Pottawatomie County Historical Society used the Santa Fe Depot as a museum showcasing both Pottawatomie County railroad and non-railway related historical artifacts.

In 2021, the Pottawatomie County Historical Society moved their museum operations to the new, custom-built “Paul and Ann Milburn Center” facility. 

Deeds and Additional Lease Agreements
Between September 1985 and September 1986, the City of Shawnee negotiated with Mr. Buford White, who was purchasing the Depot land from the railroad, and the City was able to negotiate the City’s acquisition of the Depot land for $95,500. Thus, The City became the owner of the Depot by Special Warranty Deed filed on October 14, 1986.

In January 1997 and July 1998, the City of Shawnee renewed the lease agreement with the Pottawatomie County Historical Society, at which time the requirement to keep the premises in good repair were assigned to the City.

Based on 2022 market value, the lease value of the Depot (at $18 per square foot) – once rehabilitation and renovation are complete – would amount to approximately $75,600 per year. Over the life of the various lease agreements with the Pottawatomie County Historical Society, from 1978 through 2024, the City has only assessed $1 in rent every year. 

Visioning and Preparing for the Depot’s Restoration
In 2018, Shawnee voters approved a half-cent sales tax for capital projects that included $400,000 for the Santa Fed Depot's roof repair and remodel.

In 2021, the City of Shawnee engaged GH2 Preservation Architects to undertake a study for $34,720, which assessed the specific repair and rehabilitation needs of the Santa Fe Depot; the estimated cost (in 2020 dollars) far exceeded the funding being set aside through the 2018 half-cent sales tax measure the voters had approved in 2018. 

Knowing that the set-aside funding was not sufficient to restore the Santa Fe Depot, in late Spring and early Summer of 2022, the City of Shawnee conducted extensive public outreach to ascertain citizen input on the future of the Depot. Through multiple townhall meetings and an online survey that garnered well over 600 responses, it was determined that the community overwhelmingly supported the Santa Fe Depot’s restoration:

• The public specifically requested that a portion of the Depot remain a railroad museum
• Furthermore, the community request that the building simultaneously house another function, such as a visitor center, a community or venue space, an arts or performing arts center, a farmer’s market, or a restaurant. 
• The resulting recommendation was to partner the museum with a “revenue generator” to provide funding for the ongoing maintenance of the Depot. 

City staff has researched 27 other depots in Oklahoma and nationwide and found several transit / rail hubs as well as museums, which accounted for 45% of reported functions; together with community / event space and leasable office space, these top four made up three quarters (73%) of all investigated uses. For further details on the visioning process, please visit the Community Development page dedicated to this effort.

In 2022 and 2023, GH2 Preservation Architects were again engaged to prepare detailed design and bid documents, which culminated in the first phase of the restoration project going out for bid in October 2023.