EDITORIAL: Readers weigh in on future of Union Depot

Dec. 6—A Joplin Globe story published at the end of November about Union Depot drew a massive response, including more than 1,000 likes and more than 150 comments from readers on social media.

The story reported that a structural engineer recently assessed Union Depot and concluded that the building is in good structural condition. The depot opened in 1911 in downtown Joplin as a passenger stop for the Kansas City Southern Railroad and has been vacant since 1969.

Today, the property is listed among the state's "Places in Peril" by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation. The Downtown Joplin Alliance and a local commercial real estate firm, the Glenn Group, are working to find someone to redevelop the building.

Some readers on the Globe's Facebook page recalled the depot's glory days when it was in use.

—"I remember riding the train from Joplin to Neosho about 65 years ago. A wonderful experience! When (the) train station is refurbished, will the public be able to travel out of Joplin on the train?"

—"I remember riding a passenger train out of there to Texas when I was very young. It was a hopping place back then."

—"I rode the train from Joplin to Stilwell, Oklahoma. Sure wish they would do something with it."

—"Remember going there as a young girl, picking up relatives coming to visit from California."

Many others offered their own vision for the property.

—"Bar and grill would be great. Or a concert venue."

—"Good, let's do something with it. A few restaurants, stores, shops."

—"Can (the) city convert it into a farmers market and coffee shop area for locals?"

—"Let Joplin have a train depot station again. It would bring good economic development to (the) Joplin area."

—"... How about making a go-cart track or drag strip and convert the station to vendors? Whatever ... I'd be there every day."

—"It would be cool if it could be turned into a shopping/restaurant type of place with ample parking. Some big cities have done that to their old depots. I might add, include a spot (a small museum) in the building that presents the depot history."

—"It would be a great food court where big vintage photos could be displayed."

—"That would be pretty cool if they get the passenger trains to go again from Joplin to Pittsburg, Kansas. That would save on gas. I would definitely ride it."

—"Turn it into an indoors farmers market and only have Missouri-made products from small businesses."

—"Indoor skate park."

—"In the city where I live, the old railway station was converted into retail space when passenger service stopped. It's been fully leased for a couple of decades now, without destroying the historic value of the building. Win-win."

City leaders and developers, take note. There is plenty of local interest in saving this building and turning it into something beautiful and functional.