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What Did Our Train Depots Look Like?

1873 Depot    1907 Depot

The 1907 H.&T.C. Depot

The 1907 H.&T.C. Depot at Richardson, Texas, an AI-generated image based on information currently available.
From The Story of Miss Belle's Place: Along with Some Glimpse into the History of Richardson, Texas (Poor Scholar Publications, 2026)

On September 7, 1907, under a banner dated September 6 and titled "New Depot for Richardson," The Dallas Morning News reported that "The Houston and Texas Central Railway commenced tearing out the old depot at this place yesterday, and rebuilding, to take care of the increased business at this place." According to The News, "shipments of new corn average five cars a day and are increasing daily."

So, what we have here is confirmation that the old 1873 depot was demolished in the late summer of 1907 and the new one built around the same time.

What did the new depot look like?

As luck would have it, we have three partial photographs of the 1907 depot, which not only show what it looked like, or at least part of it, but also where it was located.

Interestingly, the new depot was built on the opposite side of Smith (now Main) Street from the old depot and also on the opposite side of the tracks.

The old depot was located south of Smith (now Main) Street and on the west side of the tracks. The new depot was built north of Smith (now Main) Street and on the east side of the tracks. The diagram I've drawn below, utilizing part of Theodore Kosse's original 1878 map, illustrates the difference.

Map of the "Historic Heart of Richardson, Texas, showing location of train depots.

Here are two photos of Smith (now Main) Street, taken about 1910, both of which show the south end of the new train depot, one a little better than the other.

We also have an aerial photo of the downtown Richardson business district, showing the location of the 1907 train depot. It was taken about 1927 from the new water tower. The depot as seen here and in the above photos was situated across present-day Texas Street from the 1898 Thompson's Dry Goods Building (now an auto repair shop), on what is now property of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority (DART), previous the Southern Pacific and Houston & Texas Central Railway reservation.

What we know about the depot?

We know it was larger than the 1873 depot. But how large is anyone's guess. My guess is that it was about 25 feet wide, like the old depot, but longer, probably from 75 to 100 feet, or more.

In all likelihood, it was a complete with a passenger waiting area, an office and telegraph office, and a freight holding space. There was possibly a wooden platform around it.

Below is an AI-Generated picture of the depot, utlizing one of the above photographs for reference.

Next Question: Are there any existing vintage depots or replica depots that might look something like Richardson's 1907 depot?

Answer: Yes, and one is as close as neighboring Garland, which has an actual old Santa Fe Railroad Depot that has been turned into a local history museum, just the sort of thing that I wish Richardson would do. Here are some photos, taken on August 9, 2026.

So, is this what the 1907 Richardson depot looked like? Could be.

RETURN TO THE 1873 Depot

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