Area less than one acre NRHP Reference # 78001180 Added to NRHP 22 December 1978 | Built 1899-1900 Architectural style Italianate architecture | |
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Location 32 Liberty St., Peoria, Illinois Similar West Bluff Historic District, Grand Army of the Republic, John C Flanagan House M, Pettengill‑Morron House, Peoria City Hall | ||
The Rock Island Depot and Freight House is a two-story railroad station and adjacent one-story freight house from the turn of the 20th century. It was constructed in 1899 directly besides the Illinois River in the American city of Peoria, Illinois. The depot and freight house are Peoria's last remaining historic reminders of the importance of the railroad in the city's past. The depot was built by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad as the terminus of a major branch line that delivered significant goods and passengers to Peoria. The 1900 opening of the depot was attended by "throngs of populous;" at its height before the depression of the 1880s, Peoria was a transportation hub, rivaled only by Chicago in the Midwest. The station's clock tower was removed in 1939. The buildings were listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
After the end of train service, the building became known as River Station, and has been a restaurant, and afterwards a set of restaurants and bars. Currently the building is occupied by Martinis On Water Street, and The Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern. It is adjacent to the Peoria Riverfront Museum.