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PORT
ALLEN RAILROAD DEPOT
 The
old Port Allen Freight Depot facility is finally completed and
now open to the public. The dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony
was on September 23rd and was well-attended. The Depot will serve
as an information center for tourists and residents alike. A farmer´s
market is currently being planned for, whereby farmers and craftsmen
can display and sell there produce on the weekends. The facility
has changed little since it first functioned as a freight depot.
The building itself consists
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of
an office and a larger gathering (freight) room. It currently exhibits
old photographs and material culture from when the Depot was in
use. A long colonnade separates the Depot building from the parking
lot. It is constructed out of solid, rough-cut cypress, milled
from the around the region. The colonnade's standing seam, red
roof celebrates the history of the Union Pacific Railroad Company
in the region.
There is a large deck behind the Depot building which connects the building to
the restored Caboose, which was donated to the City by Union Pacific
Railroad Company. Flanking both sides of the deck are two large plazas, each
with formal bosques of trees which, in the upcoming years, will provide relaxing
visitors with shade
from the harsh, summer sun.
The Depot facility was restored by the City of Port Allen. Funding for the project
was provided by the Federal Highway Administration, through the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991, the LA Governor's Office of Rural
Development and the DOW Chemical Company. The project was initiated and designed
by the Center for Landscape Interpretation.
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