Magnolia Depot Restoration & Rehabilitation

The Historic Magnolia Depot was built in 1856 and burned during the Great Fire of Magnolia in 1893 and soon was rebuilt in its current location, along the Illinois Central Railroad.  The City of Magnolia purchased the Depot with plans of using it as their City Hall and other community functions.  A full exterior and interior restoration occurred using many of the original historic building elements.

While the Depot contained many of its original features, its condition showed signs of age with termite damage foundation and siding deterioration due to its exposure to the elements. This project received a full exterior restoration by restoring the original windows, the exterior siding and providing new doors and windows where the previous freight doors were located.  An ADA access was added by way of providing a platform that compliments a previous loading dock.  We acknowledged the red and yellow colors from the Illinois Central Railroad.

The interior renovation focused mainly on restoring the original elements, such as beaded board wall finish, doors, ticket window casework and wood flooring. The freight room restoration now includes City Hall offices and they remaining portion of the freight room is currently being used as the City’s Board Room.  The original scale remains in the freight room in working condition. The project also included providing new mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems.

This project was funded through Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Enhancement Grant Program and through Mississippi Department of Archives and History.