Antwerp Depot Restoration
This is really two articles in one. The Antwerp village recently moved their offices from the water plant to the new depot. But the depot is a story all of itself.
The Depot was built by the Wabash, St Louis and Pacific Railway in 1880. It was originally located beside the tracks at South Main Street where the village currently has parking near the Oasis Bar & Grill. At the time of it’s construction Antwerp was the largest village in Paulding County due to the logging industry. As the trees dwindled so did the industry. The train stop didn’t shut down; it became useful for many other purposes that the railroad brought with it including a major freight line for the US Postal Service, express packaging, passenger transportation and other uses. After WWII our own writer, Stan Jordan, road the line from Antwerp to St. Louis and came back the following day. He would sort the mail while making the trip with the other postal workers.
As roads improved and the Eisenhower Interstate System was put in place the need for the railroad diminished and with it the Depot. It was no longer feasible to maintain when trucks were getting larger and traveling was quicker to shorter distance areas. This time the Norfolk & Western Depot couldn’t evolve. Finally the station, nearly a 100 years after opening, closed in 1976, no more to protect passengers from soot of the black smoke steam engines.
The Antwerp Historical Society couldn’t bear to see it torn down, which included James S. Temple, who owned the Antwerp Bee Argus newspaper at the time. He worked to have the worn out building moved 2000 feet to its present location on West River St., again next to the railroad it served faithfully. Four years later, in 1980, the structure was added to the National Registry of Historic Places because of its significance to the local history and its classic small town decorative structure.
Over the past eight years the Village acquired ownership (2008) of the depot and with assistance from the local Antwerp Community Development Committee, grant funding was obtained to completely renovate the depot and breathe a second life into the historic building. The renovation was completed in December 2012. Marjorie Krutch of Fort Wayne owned the property where the driveway was and she donated the land for the parking area up to the village city limits. Sara Keeran, Antwerp Village Administrator, was managing the project with Poggemeyer Design Group handling the architectural engineering. Mark Greenwood restored an old woodstove to enhance the facility to what was used many years ago. Birchwood Construction of Defiance was the general contractor. The cost of the project was $305,000. Funding came from ACDC, Antwerp Village, ODOT, and the Ohio Cultural Heritage Foundation.
The second part of the story is this: It’s not only been renovated as a historic landmark, but it’s being used! Many times after renovations buildings sit idle and very few people get to utilize or enjoy it. The Village Administrator and the Utilities Clerk offices are now housed in the depot building. It can also be available for events if people would like to use the building. It makes this building very functional for the community especially since it was rebuilt with community and government funds. Both government and private citizens get to use it and it enhances community in many ways.
Watch the West Bend News for the upcoming open house of this historic and functional landmark.
For more information contact the Village Administrator at 419-258-2371.
The Antwerp Norfolk and Western Depot Building is open to the public Monday through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Weekend hours can be scheduled by calling the above number.
