(rshsdepot) Hewitt, TX

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Link:
http://www.hewitt-tx.com/Historical.htm  Hewitt Historical Preservation
Society (includes photos)

Hewitt depot renovation project chugging along
By JASON MARLIN Tribune-Herald staff writer
The renovation project of the former train depot in Hewitt is moving ahead
with the speed of a locomotive.

The depot, which was badly damaged by a 1996 fire, is expected to be
completely reconstructed by June 1, city officials said. The Hewitt
Historical Preservation Society took on the project of rebuilding the badly
damaged building in 1997. Earlier this year, the city council took over the
project, hoping to expedite the process.

City Manager Dennis Woodard said the depot, which once acted as the train
depot for the city, is rapidly approaching completion. The outside of the
structure is nearly completed, with only minor work remaining.

However, he added that the building cannot be restored to its original
historic look because the damage by the fire was too great.

"The best we can do is maintain the appearance as a faŤade of what it once
was, and then equip it to be functional," Woodard said.

The building will have two bathrooms and a sink area. The rest of the
building is open space. Woodard said the city has no intentions of what to
do with the building, adding that it may serve as a meeting place for area
groups.

Since taking over the project, the city has been able to use vast resources,
such as relationships with contractors and manpower, that the Hewitt
Historical Preservation Society did not have access to.

Woodard said much of the work has been done by city community services
employees. The group set the concrete foundation for the depot, which had
been propped up on blocks.

Although the city council first considered taking over the project during
budget proceedings last fall, Woodard said the restoration of the depot has
not been a heavily funded project for the city.

The society handed over the remaining $16,000 it had allocated to the
project. The city had given the group $8,000 two years ago. The Waco
Foundation also donated more than $12,000 to the project. Additional money
was raised by the society's hosting of numerous fund-raisers over the years.

The depot, which was built in the 1880s, was part of the Missouri, Kansas
and Texas Railroad. It is considered by many Hewitt residents to be one of
the few historical structures in the city, Woodard said. The depot was
originally operated by George A. Hewitt, eventual name-sake of the city.

The depot building also served as the city's first fire station from the
1950s until 1971. The structure was then sold and moved several times around
the area before ending up in Woodway with a private owner. While in Woodway,
the structure caught fire.

The depot, now located on Hewitt Drive, rests almost directly across the
street from its original location.

Jason Marlin can be reached at jmarlin_@_wacotrib.com or at 757-5738.


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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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