Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot
Why it's listed
Built in 1903 for the Illinois Central Railroad, this brick passenger depot sits on the Carbondale town square beside the tracks. Francis T. Bacon, the railroad's architect, designed it with a steep slate roof, metal cresting and rock-faced red brick, blending late 19th-century features with plainer early 20th-century lines. It served as the city's passenger depot until 1981. Over the years the building gained a mail enclosure, a lunchroom and a 1930 baggage room expansion, and its original roof was replaced with asbestos shingles. A restoration finished on the exterior in 1992 brought back natural slate, cresting, beaded wood soffits and the 1903 interior layout. The depot is recognized for its role in transportation. It linked southern Illinois communities to the rest of the country, housed a railway mail division office from 1903, carried students to Southern Illinois Normal University and travelers to the 1904 World's Fair, and provided local jobs. The period of significance is 1903 to 1952.
Significance in brief: The depot is argued to represent the importance of the railroad to Carbondale's growth and to the development of southern Illinois. It connected people and goods in the region to the state and nation, and housed a railway mail division office. It is also one of the few remaining structures from the railroad's era around the Town Square.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000457, listed May 9, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 111 S. Illinois Ave, Carbondale |
|---|---|
| County | Jackson County |
| Listed | May 9, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000457 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Bacon, Francis T., Illinois Central Architect |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored, with exterior work completed in 1992 and the interior returned to its 1903 plan; now used for commerce/business. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 37.72858, -89.21673 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000457.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16892610
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.