(rshsdepot) Brice Ohio depot bought, moved to northwest Columbus Ohio

[Andy Ingraham Dwyer <adwyer_@_io.com>]

From my local Community paper, The Clintonville Booster / SNP, Dec 29 
2004:

< http://www.snponline.com/NEWS12-29/12-29_allnwdepot%2012-29.htm >
< http://www.info-depot.com >

'Depot' center rolls high tech into nostalgic train setting

A scaled steam engine and 1880 train station theme the unusual conference 
center.

By KATY WATERS

When he bought the property at 919 Old Henderson Road in 2000, Barry Fromm 
knew it was a good place for the company he founded seven years earlier.

It was more than large enough for Value Recovery Group, which does 
commercial collections and property liquidation for several federal 
agencies and the state of Ohio.

Previously, the site was the central office for Suburban News Publications 
from 1979 to 1992, when the community newspaper publishing group built a 
new facility and moved to its current site on Sinclair Road. Karrington 
Communities owned the Old West Henderson location before Fromm purchased 
it.

With space to lease, the 54-year-old Upper Arlington resident thought the 
property could use something else, something to distinguish it from all 
the other offices in Columbus.

After a complete update of the building, which was renamed the InfoDepot, 
he attracted seven tenants, including the Ohio Cement Association and the 
National Safety Council.

But the feeling the best use for the land hadn't yet been realized nagged 
Fromm.

As he looked around -- the property is bordered by active train tracks -- 
an idea struck.

"Build to suit the environment," Fromm said.

To him, that meant a one-third size, coal-driven steam engine along with 
three passenger cars that can carry four adults each, and 2,000 feet of 
7.5-gauge track.

It also meant a full-size 1909 caboose from Michigan and an 1880 train 
station brought up in pieces from the village of Brice and reassembled on 
site.

The 1,300-square-foot Depot Conference Center was finished this year. 
Business clients began using it in mid-November, and a "Golden Spike" 
grand opening held Dec. 12 drew train enthusiasts from throughout the 
state.

Fromm, a collector of antiques since he was a child, said he hadn't 
previously developed any particular interest in trains or train history. 
Now, he can't stop shopping for memorabilia.

He's scoured eBay and antiques dealers across the state looking for 1800s 
railroad and train station parts, from door handles to century-old train 
schedules.

But the building holds a few surprises. One would never guess that from 
the century-old ceiling of the depot, a projector and screen drop down for 
the business meetings of today.

Wireless Internet, a kitchen, secured building access and other modern 
accouterments are packed into the depot. On the walls, 1800s sconces glow 
beneath 2003 emergency lights.

"I've always wanted a facility that did everything," he said. "And we did 
it. You just can't see it all the time."

In its original incarnation, the depot was on Brice Road, about 12 miles 
southeast of Columbus, and once housed a pizza shop and beauty parlor in 
addition to being a railroad hub.

Now, Amish-crafted oak chairs and walnut tables made by an Ohio artist 
fill the conference room.

The walls -- which were imported from a Quaker church in Ravenna -- 
showcase Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad timetables dated 1892.

For more information, visit info-depot.com or call 324-5930.

Caption fron News photo by Ben French:
Marcy Depew and Barry Fromm stand outside the Depot Conference Center at 
919 Old Henderson Road. The center offers visitors a memorable experience 
with rare railroad depot furniture and antiques, mixed with 
state-of-the-art technology. The 1880 depot was disassembled, moved from 
Brice and reassembled on site.


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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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