LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A historic train depot in Louisville that once served people as a busy passenger facility and produced as a distribution point is getting revitalized.
The Buechel Train Depot has seen life, time and cargo go by. As a child, Sadie Iovenko would spend weekend mornings counting and watching trains with her grandfather.
“I think it’s really almost romantic to imagine all of the people here over time, all of the things that they would’ve been doing ... up until the '50s, this was a really busy place where there even would’ve been three people working third shift," said Iovenko, who owns the Buechel Train Depot. "That, to me, makes it really important because it’s a place where people spent a lot of time."
Iovenko, 28, purchased the historic landmark last summer for just $1. She, her family and others did a full gut of the building.
“We’ve really done our best to bring this building back to glory, making it safe for the community," Iovenko said.
Built around the 1900s, the depot is made of shiplap, which Iovenko said would’ve been taken from a real ship. She said it was a Southern Railroad station that was saved in the 1950s and '60s. Many people worked together to move the depot to its current location in 1989.
“It’s a very historic building that’s full of the determination and grit of people from Louisville, and it’s really a testament to those people," Iovenko said.
The depot is full of history, including wood planks on the new walls that were part of the depot's original walls. Iovenko said back in the day, people who were passing through the depot would use wooden board as a message board to other people. People would take their finger, dip it in coal ash and write messages or words on the wood boards.
There are several examples of this across the depot, including a message from a person with the name Geo E. Line from Sept. 1915. There is also a hand-drawn face of a person on one of the wooden boards.
“They’re very delicate but very important because they really show how important this building was to all types of people in the community," Iovenko said.
Development plans for the property include a community garden and rental plots. More than 30 trees will be planted, plus new sidewalks, Iovenko said.
“The idea is that people can come here, they can walk around, enjoy the green space, walk their leashed dog, have a picnic and watch trains," she said.
The depot is always free to the public and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Applications are open starting Jan. 1 for businesses to rent space.