Clio Logo
Anacortes Washington Walking Tour
Item 5 of 5
Built in 1911, the Great Northern Depot is a historic train station that is now home to the Anacortes Farmer's Market and the Depot Arts & Community Center. Architect Samuel L. Bartlett designed it in the Tudor (English) style and it has been well preserved. The one-story, wood-frame building features stuccoed walls with inlaid boards to mimic a timber frame, four large rooms (two passenger waiting rooms, a baggage room, and a freight room), and a terrazzo floor. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The Great Northern Depot was built in 1911 and is today home to the Depot Arts & Community Center and Anacortes Farmer's Market.

The Great Northern Depot was built in 1911 and is today home to the Depot Arts & Community Center and Anacortes Farmer's Market.

The Great Northern Railroad built the depot during what is considered the city's "second boom" between 1900-1920 when the lumber and fishing industries were thriving. Great Northern erected the station to replace a smaller one that was no longer adequate for the city's needs and the increasing number of people settling here.

The depot was a busy passenger hub until 1930 when ridership began to decline as people started to use cars. As a result, regular passenger service ended in the early 1930s. After that, excursion trains operated until the mid-1950s; freight service continued until 1973 when another depot was built in Mt. Vernon, Washington. The Great Northern Depot remained vacant for several years before the city bought it in 1981. It was at that point that it became the Depot Arts & Community Center and home to the Anacortes Farmer's Market.

"Depot, circa 1915." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed February 16, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=74122.

Koler, Julie. "Great Northern Depot." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 5, 1987. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/dd826d88-fa13-4f49-9ca6-92281065a596.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Depot Arts & Community Center