Santa Fe Depot (Oklahoma City)

The second Santa Fe Depot in Oklahoma City, built 1904.

The current depot is the third one to be located at its current site. The first station was built in 1889, soon after the founding of the city. It was demolished to make way for the second station, which was built in 1904 and then demolished in 1930[3] when the current depot was built in its place.

The station was built in 1934 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It is an Art Deco structure located in downtown Oklahoma City at 100 South E.K. Gaylord Boulevard. It was served by the Santa Fe Railway's Texas Chief line, which later became the Lone Star under Amtrak. The station was also served by the Santa Fe's Kansas Cityan/Chicagoan.

Amtrak discontinued the service in 1979 when it terminated the Lone Star. Subsequently, the station was vacant for 20 years and began to deteriorate.

The station was used only by the Santa Fe; the Frisco and Rock Island used Union Station, while the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad had its own station on East Reno Street.

In 1998, Jim Brewer, a developer responsible for creating the nearby Bricktown entertainment district, purchased the station from Santa Fe Railway and oversaw a renovation using $2 million funds provided through the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to make it accessible to people with disabilities and usable as a train station. In 1998, Amtrak and the state reached an informal agreement with Brewer Entertainment to use the station rent-free as the northern terminus of the new Heartland Flyer line, connecting to Fort Worth. The agreement required the state to pay for utilities and other costs associated with station operations.

Service on the Heartland Flyer began in 1999. Another $3.1 million renovation was completed in 2007, and additional accessibility features were added with a $30,000 project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.[1]

No official lease had been drawn up until at least 2010, when Brent Brewer locked the doors of the depot on September 27 and 29, forcing new negotiations with ODOT.[4] On December 21, 2010, it was announced that the ODOT had signed a lease of the station and parking lot for 25 months, with the option to extend the lease for up to ten years.[5]

The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. A renovation of the station was completed in 2017.[1] Oklahoma City Streetcar service commenced at the station with that system's opening on December 14, 2018.

Media related to Santa Fe Depot (Oklahoma City) at Wikimedia Commons

• Oklahoma City, OK – Amtrak
• Oklahoma City, OK – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)