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Finding Minnesota: Digging Into The Depot
February 22, 2010
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - If you drive through downtown Minneapolis, chances are you've passed the Old Milwaukee Road Depot on Washington Avenue.
The last train pulled out of there almost 40 years ago, but thanks to an impressive remodeling project, it's once again bustling with activity.
What was once a train station is now a huge entertainment complex.
This week in Finding Minnesota, we show you the clever ways the Depot still honors its past.
From November to March, the ice rink at the Depot is packed with people.
The views of downtown Minneapolis are so spectacular, that "USA Today" named this rink, one of the top 10 places in the country to skate.
The rink is located inside the original train shed. It's now enclosed.
And given about four hours of work, the same space can be used for special events like weddings.
Depot General Manager Robb Hall gave WCCO-TV's Angela Davis a tour of the hot spot.
"So a floor goes down, special floor, over the ice. It's insulated and then you turn the heat up. Then you can do whatever you want in here," he said.
The Old Milwaukee Road Depot was built in 1899 with a clock tower as its distinguishing feature.
It was designed by architect Charles Frost.
The depot reached its hay day in 1920, when 20 trains would leave from the depot daily.
Then in 1971 the Milwaukee Road terminated train service to Minneapolis and converted the building into office space.
The building stood vacant for nearly 30 years, and then a major renovation project brought it back to life in 2001.
An indoor water park complete with a huge train in the middle, is a place that hotel guests can hang out with their kids.
There are actually two hotels at the Depot, a Renaissance hotel and a Residence Inn by Marriott.
Almost everywhere you turn you will find lovely reminders of the building's past.
Hundreds of black and white photos from the early 1900s adorn the walls, as well as posters from calendars that the rail line used to send out.
And then there are the statues that represent the travelers and workers who would have spent time here long ago.
"We had a contest a few years ago where we invited people to write a short story about the statues. We picked a winner for each. They are fictional," Hall said.
He also said construction workers even unveiled a few hidden treasures -- like skylights that were boarded up in the 1940s, out of fear of another attack like the one on Pearl Harbor.
"They were blackened out so if planes were flying over they couldn't see light coming from above," he said.
So whether you are hotel guest, or a restaurant patron -- or someone who just wants to spend a little time skating -- you'll walk away from the Depot really feeling like you've been somewhere special.
The ice skating rink is only open during the winter months, and only Thursdays through Sundays.
It closes for the season on March 21.
And if you were wondering, the Milwaukee Road Depot is indeed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Watch the Video at WCCO.com
