Tempe Historic Property Survey

The existing Tempe Depot was the third station built in Tempe and represents the progression of railroad development in the community. The 1887 Maricopa and Phoenix station at Fifth Street was demolished in 1917. In 1908, the Phoenix and Eastern Depot was moved to West Third Street and remodeled; that wooden station burned in 1923. In May of 1910, the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad Company was merged with the new Arizona Eastern Railroad Company, headed by national railroad entrepreneur E. H. Harriman, and Col. Epes Randolph. The former company’s station was used until the present station was constructed in 1924. This location became part of the Southern Pacific Main Line in 1925. The Tempe Depot is significant as the only remaining depot associated with the various railroads that had a major influence on the development of Tempe.

The Tempe Depot is a single-story rectangular brick building with a hip roof and boxed eaves. The south end has freight entrances on the south and east facades. A porte-cochere at the north end is formed by extensions of the roof and supported by hexagonal brick pillars. The central portion of the passenger section has a projecting bay on the west which contains a set of triple windows and side lights. Brick pilasters divide the wall surfaces into bays. In 1988, the building was rehabilitated for use as a restaurant. At that time, a new façade was built on the east face of the building; the façade is not compatable with the original architecture, but was constructed in a way that it can be removed in the future without any significant damage to the original façade underneath.

For more details, read Excerpts from Newspaper Articles and Documents about the Tempe Depot.

Go to Tempe Historic Property Survey