The Glenwillow Depot - located on Pettibone Road in the Village of Glenwillow - was originally constructed in 1883 at the junction of the Conotton Valley Railroad's main Cleveland-Canton line with its branch to Chagrin Falls.
It was moved via flatcar to its present location in 1892 and was simply called "Falls Junction" as the Village of Glenwillow had not yet come into existence. It is known by this same name today.
Passenger service from the Depot was discontinued in 1938. Discontinuation of freight service occurred in the mid-1970s when the Austin Powder Company relocated their manufacturing operations.
Over the years the building deteriorated to the point of near collapse, but fortunately Glenwillow Mayor Donald Payne would not allow it to be demolished. Yet there was no one stepping up to support the Depot's restoration - until MRPS member Michael Kole noticed the building and began talking with the Mayor and the MRPS' Board of Trustees in the early 1990s.
Soon after, Bruce Brotherton of Browning Ferris Industries entered the picture with a much-needed donation of $25,000 to help restore the structure. MRPS then requested - and was granted - ownership of the Depot by the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway. So despite its condition, the Depot hosted serveral public events in 1993 and 1994; including a visit by Santa Claus. Yet full restoration was still some years away.
As the next century arrived, the building's structural problems could be ignored no longer. It became unsafe due to a rotting foundation - leaning to the point that the front door could no longer be opened. Finally, in 2005, MRPS and the Village of Glenwillow reached an agreement on repairing the Depot.
That November, Bill Wittlatch and the Town Center Construction Company straightened the building and took care of the structural problems by building a new concrete block foundation. Then, in 2006, MRPS volunteers set out to bring it fully back to life.
Window frames, studs and sills were rebuilt. A missing roof overhang brace was replicated and is ready for installation. The front door was repaired, repainted, and rehung. Freight doors were straightened and made operable. New siding was installed to replace rotted or missing planks that resulted from the foundation repair. And - on the two hottest Saturdays of 2006 - the crew set out to dig new drainage ditches and install new tile, guttering and downspouts.
To be done this year is the passenger Waiting Room and Agent's Office - which includes lots of stripping, painting and caulking. We'll also need to clean and re-oil the floors. And we'll need to add the "little touches" like restoring the original ticket window shutter and coin drawer.
Think you might want to help? We could certainly use a few extra hands . . . but in the meantime, enjoy a few pics of the intrepid volunteers at work.
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