The Cheney Depot, once the center of the small Washington town, safely moved to its new home on private property last month. Built in 1929, the Spanish Eclectic-styled depot was saved from demolition through the coordinated efforts of BNSF and the Cheney Depot Society.
In its earlier years, the Cheney Depot was the iconic starting location for any journey out of town. Times changed, and in the 1970s the depot stopped accommodating passenger operations. The depot was used for office space and storage until it was declared surplus property in 2013. Soon after, the Cheney Depot Society was formed and began working to save the historic building.
BNSF gifted the depot to the society and allowed the depot to remain on BNSF property while the society raised money for the move. The society plans to restore the depot so that it can open as a new business, possibly a restaurant. Now located three blocks south, the depot is positioned as the southern anchor to Cheney’s core downtown commercial district.
Learn more about the move here and here.
Photo credit: Jill Weiszmann
