The Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot is a historic

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

depot Depot may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Glacier (disambiguation) * Depot Island (disambiguation) * Depot Nunatak * Depot Peak Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in Chicago, United States * Of ...

in Punta Gorda,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It is located at 1009 Taylor Road. Owned and maintained by the Punta Gorda Historical Society, the building houses a Black history exhibit and an antique mall. On December 12, 1990, it was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad built the depot in 1928 as one of many investments it made to its railroad network during the

Florida land boom of the 1920s The first real estate bubble in Florida was primarily caused by the economic prosperity of the 1920s coupled with a lack of knowledge about List of Florida hurricanes, storm frequency and poor Building code, building standards. This pioneering e ...

. It served as Punta Gorda's third passenger rail depot, replacing earlier depots built by the Atlantic Coast Line's predecessor the

Florida Southern Railway The Florida Southern Railway was a railway that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railways when it was built along with the South Florida Railway and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida ...

. The original depot, built in 1886, was a small frame depot located within the railroad's turning wye. The second depot, built in 1897, was slightly larger and was located along King Street (which today carries northbound U.S. Highway 41). It was demolished along with the Coast Line's King Street dock to accommodate the construction of the original

Barron Collier Bridge The Barron Collier Bridge is a bridge in Charlotte County, Florida that crosses the Peace River connecting Punta Gorda, Florida and Port Charlotte, Florida. It is 45 feet tall and carries two northbound lanes of U.S. Route 41 (Tamiami Trail). ...

over the

Peace River The Peace River () is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in the Peace-Athabasca Delta to form the ...

. The Punta Gorda depot was built in Neo-Spanish architecture, and was one of only six depots the Atlantic Coast Line built in that style. Of those six, only two still stand today (the other is in Bradenton). Passenger rail service to Punta Gorda was discontinued in 1971. The building was eventually purchased by local landowner Fred Babcock, who donated it to the Punta Gorda Historical Society in 1996. The building today houses an antique mall. The depot's platform is still within the railroad's right of way.

Seminole Gulf Railway The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line railroad, short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort M ...

, who operates the rail line today, uses the platform every Christmas season for its ''Christmas Rail-Boat'' evening excursions. Passengers arrive from Fort Myers and transfer to a bus for a Christmas light boat tour through Punta Gorda Isles. They then reboard for the return trip to Fort Myers.

Gallery

File:Punta Gorda FL ACL depot doors01.jpg, "White" and "Colored" entrances File:Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot rear.jpg, Roof damage from

Hurricane Charley Hurricane Charley was the first of four separate hurricanes to impact or strike Florida during 2004, along with Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, as well as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the United States. It was the third named sto ...

File:Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot inside 3.jpg, Interior view File:Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot inside 4.jpg, Another interior view File:SGLR Christmas Train Punta Gorda 2019.jpg, Seminole Gulf Railway Christmas Rail-Boat at Punta Gorda Depot in 2019.

References

External links

Charlotte County listings
a
National Register of Historic PlacesFlorida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs

Charlotte County listings

Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot
- Punta Gorda Historical Society Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad stations Former railway stations in Florida Punta Gorda, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Charlotte County, Florida Tourist attractions in Charlotte County, Florida Railway stations in the United States opened in 1928 Transportation buildings and structures in Charlotte County, Florida {{Florida-railstation-stub