Blair Depot

[Coyote]

The City of Blair and the Blair Historic Preservation Alliance met with four architectural firms today about how to refurbish the 1880 Depot that is in Lions Park. It hopefully will contain a Transportation Interpretive Center with Blair being not only along the rail lines from the Chicago St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha (formerly Sioux City & Pacific Railroad) and the Omaha Road (Omaha/Florence/Ft. Calhoun/Blair/Herman) but also the conjunction of two Historic Highways - Lincoln Highway (Hwy 30)and the Lewis and Clark Scenic Byway (Hwy 75) as well as the hub connecting the bike trails in the area. All four presentations were great but Muddy Waters Workshop really stood out as the best contracted Interpretive Center developer. I hope Alley Poyner gets the bid and they can find all the funding needed to make this a place of interest.

[Coyote]

I should have posted this a while back:

Grant will help depot tie past, present

The grant will pay for substantial repairs to the depot, including a new roof, re-milled siding, new windows and doors, two reconstructed chimneys (the original structure had two chimneys), repaired walls and floors and an exterior water supply.

To give the depot the vintage feel of its age, the renovation also will include vintage fixtures and appropriate landscaping, with an ADA accessible ramp incorporated into a train platform to be located on the south side of the structure. Rump said he hopes to add a stage to the designs, for local outdoor concerts and performances.

[Coyote]

Alley Poyner Macchietto wins!

Depot design proceeds

The Blair City Council voted 5-3 last week to approve the architectural/engineering agreement to develop the plan to improve the old railroad depot, which was moved from its longtime location to Lions Park two years ago. The council approved a $49,253 agreement with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture to develop the plan for the depot.

The design of the project will take about six months and bids for construction probably will go out this fall, said Al Schoemaker, Blair public works director. Construction would begin next spring if the project stays on schedule.

[Coyote]

Steaming into the 21st-century: New look, new purpose for Blair's last train depot

The rustic structure has a new coat of red oxide paint and brown trim for its life as a park shelter, gathering place, art show venue, performance stage and central hub for the city's trail system.