Sayre Rock Island Depot

Sayre Rock Island Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	106 E. Poplar, Sayre, Oklahoma
Coordinates
Area	less than one acre
Built	1927 (1927)
Built by	Leake Construction Company
Architectural style	Itailan Renaissance
NRHP Reference #	00000654
Added to NRHP	June 9, 2000

The Sayre Rock Island Depot is a historic railroad station located at 106 E. Poplar Ave. in Sayre, Oklahoma. The depot was built in 1927 along the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad; it replaced Sayre's original Rock Island station, which opened in 1901. The new station accommodated the increased traffic the line had gained in the early 1920s; it also helped the railroad compete with U.S. Route 66, which had recently been designated. The station building was built from brick and stucco and has an Italian Renaissance Revival design. Its design resembles two other surviving Rock Island stations in Oklahoma: the Hobart Depot and the Walters Depot.

From the 1930s onward, railroad traffic on the Rock Island declined as travelers and freight moved on highways rather than trains. The railroad gave the station to the City of Sayre in 1972 after passenger service ended. In 1992, the Shortgrass Country Museum opened in the depot. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 2000.