West Alexandria Depot
Also known as: Pre-27-9
Why it's listed
Built in 1906, this small wood-frame railroad depot on East Dayton Street (U.S. Route 35) in West Alexandria, Ohio, measures about 20 by 65 feet and still stands where it was first constructed. It combined passenger and freight service in one building: a waiting room at the front, a ticket office with a projecting polygonal window in the middle, and a freight room with three sliding doors at the rear. Its Stick Style character shows in deep eaves, decorative straight and diagonal braces, sawtooth gable shingles, a hanging roof pendant, and a mix of vertical and horizontal siding. Rail service reached the town in 1886 on the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw line, and the 1906 depot later carried the colors of the Cincinnati Northern, which had taken over that line. Only minor alterations have occurred, and the track was removed in 1982. The depot is recognized for its architecture and as a surviving small-town combination station.
Significance in brief: The depot is significant under Criterion C as a locally important example of Stick Style architecture. It also represents the small-town combination station, with a waiting room, ticket office and freight room under one roof. Its decorative brackets, bracing, extended eaves and varied wooden wall treatments remain largely intact.
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 06000696, listed August 11, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 71 E. Dayton St., West Alexandria |
|---|---|
| County | Preble County |
| Listed | August 11, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000696 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1906 |
| Architect / builder | Cincinnati Northern Railroad Company |
| Architectural style | Stick / Eastern Stick |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as work in progress; the building underwent a complete rehabilitation in early 2006, including a new standing seam metal roof. Interior condition was described as fair. Track and ballast were removed in 1982. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 39.74513, -84.52859 (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 06000696.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q138657132
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.