Lake Shore And Michigan Southern Passenger Depot
Also known as: Conneaut Historical Railroad Museum
Why it's listed
Built in 1900 as the passenger depot of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, this low stone-and-brick building in Conneaut, Ohio, measures 30 by 100 feet. A broad hipped roof, taller than the walls and carried on wide angle brackets, dominates its profile. Rusticated stone forms the lower walls, brick rises above, and the corners are quoined. Twin doors on each side once led to separate men's and women's waiting rooms, and a projecting bay holds the telegraph office window on the track side. The interior remains largely intact. Plans for a museum began in 1960, and the depot was dedicated in May 1966. It now displays equipment of the New York Central, the Nickel Plate Road and the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad, including steam locomotive #755, a hopper car and a caboose. The depot was listed as a surviving example of the small railroad passenger station and for its museum reuse.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the depot as an important example of the small railroad passenger station, a building type it describes as rapidly vanishing. It is also significant for its adaptive use as a museum of the three railroads tied to Conneaut's history and economy: the New York Central, the Nickel Plate Road and the Bessemer & Lake Erie.
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 75001314, listed March 27, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 342 Depot St., Conneaut |
|---|---|
| County | Ashtabula County |
| Listed | March 27, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001314 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (specific date 1900) |
| Architectural style | Jacobethan elements (per the later data sheet) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Excellent condition and altered; in use as the Conneaut Historical Railroad Museum, leased by the City of Conneaut and operated by a railway historical society chapter. Dedicated as a museum in May 1966. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.94983, -80.55895 (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 75001314.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q20711113
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.