Restoration of the tile roof of the Keokuk Union Depot was completed on October 8, 2018, with the tiling of the two hips over the waiting room. While most of the building's roof had been completed in 2017, these two hips could not be finished at that time due to a delay in receiving tiles of the correct angle for the hip corners or the roof ridges over the waiting room.

The tile replaces a worn shingled roof, which replaced the original 1891 tiled roof around 1950. At that time the central tower was also cut down. The bottom photo shows the Depot in 2011, before restoration efforts began. The central tower was restored to its original height in 2016, when a reconstructed apex was lifted to the top of the building and gables and turrets were constructed.

The Depot's restoration has been undertaken by the non-profit Keokuk Union Depot Foundation, which raised around $1,300,000.00 in a two-year capital campaign with the help of a $333,000 challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation. Other grants came from the the State Historical Society of Iowa Historical Resource Development Program and other national and local sources. Restoric LLC of Chicago managed the project. A future project is restoration of the train shed (platform umbrella), shown in the second photo.

The Depot is a popular venue for Keokuk community events including concerts, weddings, receptions, baby and bridal showers, class reunions, and anniversary parties. For more information about the restoration project and the Depot's history, visit the web site at https://www.keokukuniondepot.org.

The trackage in front of the Depot, originally serving passenger trains of the Burlington Route and other railroads serving Keokuk, is used for car storage and maintenance by Pioneer Railcorp (Keokuk Junction Railway), which conveyed the building to the City of Keokuk in 2011.

Congratulations, Richard!
You have a lot to be proud of, and it is nice to hear that the community has embraced this restoration effort with use of a very interesting building.

I hope one day an excursion with vintage coaches could depart from your platform, if just for a special event.
Regards,
Olin

Richard -

Fantastic job! The folks in Keokuk should really be proud.

Les

That looks spectacular!