(rshsdepot) Venice, FL

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Links
http://www.co.sarasota.fl.us/public_works_scat/train_depot.asp  (info &
photos)
http://www.ncf.edu/NCarchaeology/images/trainpix.gif  (recent photo)
http://www.venicemainstreet.com/images/text04.jpg   (1926 photo)

Work on train depot moves ahead

03/02/02

By MICHAEL SCARCELLA
michael.scarcella_@_heraldtribune.com

VENICE -- The words "All we need is love" are spray-painted on the aging
Venice Train Depot, and it appears a little affection is en route.
Earlier this week, architects submitted renovation plans for the 75-year-old
building -- the last remaining train station in Sarasota County. They have
also requested building permits from the city.
"The plans are in, and we are awaiting word from the county," said James
Rowland, acting project manager with Stevenson Architects Inc.
Time has left its mark on the depot, which has languished since passenger
train service ceased in 1971.
Written in black spray paint, the question, "When was the last time?" glares
from the entrance of the station.
But the depot's abandonment ended in 1999 after the county bought the land
and depot for $327,000, with city, state and federal funds.
The ultimate plan: another passenger transportation hub -- but this time
it's bus, not rail.
"The depot will act as our South County bus transfer station," said Michael
Perry, a financial manager with Sarasota County Area Transit. "Four bus
lines will disperse to areas south and north."
A makeshift transfer area is in operation on Tampa Avenue, east of U.S. 41.
Operating from the depot's 3.25-acre site, one bus will serve Englewood, two
will travel to and from North Port, and one bus will venture north to
Sarasota. Also, the "SCAT-About" service will use the train depot as its
hub.
"We are still in the process of permitting and hope to have bid documents in
the next three to four weeks," Perry said. "We're looking at about July 2003
for the grand opening."
Before the buses roll in, however, the depot needs work.
Shattered terra-cotta roof tiles, broken glass and a crumpled beer can or
two litter the platform where train riders once stood. The depot's
crumbling, paint-chipped walls scream for attention, and tall grasses have
overgrown the railroad tracks.
"The depot's not in bad shape structurally," said David Baber, general
manager of Sarasota County Historical Resources. "It's kinda rundown, but
I've dealt with worse buildings."
Jay Goodwill, general manager for SCAT transit services, is optimistic that
construction times are accurate.
"As long as they get in there and don't find something unexpected, we seem
fairly comfortable with construction estimates," Goodwill said. "They've
looked at the building fairly closely already."
Baber has been monitoring the renovation plans to ensure that the work
adheres to Secretary of the Interior standards. The train depot is a local
and national historic landmark: Renovation work must comply both with the
city's stringent architectural code and with federal guidelines.
Restoring the depot to its original appearance hasn't been the easiest task,
Baber said.
"You don't want to reinvent history," he explained. "But this is where it
gets tricky: when you don't know the exact way it appeared before and have
to make educated guesses based on knowledge of architecture."
Rowland said it's been hard to find old photographs of the depot, which was
built in 1927 by the founders of Venice.
"We've been having a hard time getting pictures before 1960," Rowland said.
"I've been posting messages on /[America Online/] to get people who may have
scored pictures over time to help us. We'd like to restore the integrity of
the building."
Don Caillouette, a city planner, said he hopes the bus transfer station will
encourage public transportation.
"This building is very prominent," Caillouette said. "I would hope it'd be
people friendly, a place to hang out, to promote bus ridership. When it's
all said and done, the depot is going to be a tremendous asset."
David Baber of Sarasota County Historical Resources says the depot isn't in
bad shape structurally.

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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #303
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