Big Four Depot Middletown, Ohio

Text courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, a program of the National Parks Service. Minor transcription errors or changes in formatting may have occurred; please see the Nomination Form PDF for official text. Some information may have become outdated since the property was nominated for the Register.

The Big Four Depot is eligible for listing on the National Register as a locally significant resource through its association with the development of the transportation network in Middletown which greatly affected the growth and prosperity of the city itself at the turn of the twentieth century (Criterion A). The construction of the railroad and the depot played a significant role in the development of Middletown because industrial and commercial concerns began expanding the city eastward to meet the railroad as revealed by the series of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Figures 11-16). The Big Four Depot is significant as a distinctive example of an early twentieth century passenger railroad depot property type characterized by its one-story, long low profile, overhanging eaves, and floor plan which reflect its original function as a passenger depot. The brick depot with a rectangular footprint and overhanging hipped roof represents a popular replacement depot design constructed by the New York Central Railroad during the early twentieth century (Grant and Bohi 1978:40). The depot also reflects late nineteenth and early twentieth century architectural stylistic influences of the Richardsonian Romanesque through its use of brick with contrasting concrete raised foundation, window surrounds and belt courses, tile roof, porticos supported by heavy pillars, and the distinctive stained glass art glass windows reflect the broader Arts and Crafts Movement; the railroad depot's architecture stands out in downtown Middletown (Criterion C).