Hundreds of people packed Grand Junction’s historic Union Depot on May 9 for National Train Day, celebrating not just railroad history but a real turning point in a long-awaited restoration. After years of slow progress, roof tiles are already on their way, Amtrak has signed a lease to return, and a 120-year-old landmark is finally on the path back to life.

A Celebration Loaded with Once-in-a-Generation Milestones

The free event drew a big crowd to 119 Pitkin Avenue, filling the grounds with vintage cars, local nonprofits, and community energy that felt different from previous years. The Wheels West Classic Car Club brought its Rods and Rails car show, and the Friends of GJ Union Depot nonprofit ran fundraising efforts throughout the day. Co-owner Dustin Anzures summed up what made May 9, 2026 truly special. “We’re celebrating National Train Day, the 120th anniversary of the depot opening, Colorado’s 150th, and the United States’ 250th birthday all at once,” he said. **Four major milestones landing in a single afternoon is something that will not happen again.** The depot has historically opened to the public on just one day each year. National Train Day is that day, making each visit feel rare and every restoration update carry extra weight with the people who show up.

A Building That Was Born the Day Before Disaster Struck

The Union Depot opened quietly on April 17, 1906. There was no grand ceremony, no ribbon-cutting, no crowds gathered. According to Michael Nuttall, vice-chair of the board of directors for Friends of GJ Union Depot, the doors simply opened and operations began. The very next morning, everything changed. On April 18, 1906, the great San Francisco earthquake struck. Survivors fled east by train and many found themselves in Grand Junction. **A city of just 5,000 people turned their brand-new train station into a makeshift hospital and refugee camp almost overnight**, offering laundry services, a food kitchen, financial aid, and shelter to thousands of displaced survivors. That story has largely gone untold for decades. But for the people working to restore the depot, it is a defining part of why this building matters so much. The depot was designed by Chicago architect Henry J. Schlacks, a man who trained at MIT and helped found the architecture school at Notre Dame. This was one of only two railroad stations he ever designed. Built for roughly $60,000 by the William Simpson Construction Company, the Italian Renaissance-style building featured arched windows and soaring ceilings and was considered the finest railroad structure west of the Rockies when it opened.

“The depot is the most architecturally and historically significant building to Grand Junction, perhaps even this valley. Our goal is to restore this station to its former glory.”
Michael Nuttall, Vice-Chair, Friends of GJ Union Depot

Decades of Decline and Nearly a Decade of Fighting Back

The building served Grand Junction for 85 consecutive years. By the 1980s, the golden age of rail travel had faded. In 1991, Amtrak quietly moved out of the depot and into a smaller, unremarkable building next door. The historic station sat empty, and by the mid-1990s it had fallen into serious disrepair. Colorado Preservation, Inc. named it one of the state’s Most Endangered Places in 2010. The building had already been added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, but recognition alone was not enough to reverse decades of neglect. Real momentum arrived in 2016 when Grand Junction native Veronica Sanchez and her husband Dustin Anzures purchased the building. What followed has been a long and deliberate push through grant applications, community partnerships, and public events to keep the project moving. Here is where the restoration stands heading into summer 2026:

• 2016: Anzures and Sanchez purchase the building and begin the restoration plan
• 2024: An AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team joins hands-on restoration work
• 2025: Grand Junction City Council reviews a $4.7 million federal grant opportunity
• 2025: The Downtown Development Authority pledges $500,000 contingent on matching grant funds
• 2026: Roof tiles ordered; physical construction expected to begin within weeks

“We’re very close to starting construction. The new roof will be the first scope of work that we take on here in the next few weeks,” Anzures confirmed at the May 9 event.

Amtrak Is Coming Back and the Plans Go Well Beyond a Train Station

The news that many in Grand Junction have waited years to hear is now confirmed. Amtrak has finalized a lease to return its Grand Junction operations to the historic Union Depot once restoration is complete. **The targeted reopening is set for fall 2027, roughly 121 years after the station first opened its doors.** That timeline aligns with the vision the owners have been building toward since acquiring the property. The restored depot will not function as just a train stop. Plans call for:

• A fully operational Amtrak passenger station on the California Zephyr route
• A public waiting room for travelers
• A restaurant and general store open to passengers and the broader community

The California Zephyr is one of the most scenic long-distance rail routes in the United States, connecting Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area. The stretch between Denver and Grand Junction is widely regarded as among the most breathtaking segments of track in the country. Anzures made clear this was always part of the plan. “So many cities are spending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars trying to get Amtrak to come back after it already left. Here we are, we have Amtrak,” he said. **Bringing Amtrak back here was not about luck. It was about not letting go.** He also placed the depot’s importance in its broadest context. “These towns like Grand Junction just popped up wherever the train tracks emerged. That’s why Grand Junction is here today, because of the route the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad selected,” Anzures said. The story of the Grand Junction Union Depot is ultimately about a community that has never stopped believing in a building that helped create it. From sheltering earthquake refugees in its first 24 hours to hosting hundreds of proud residents 120 years later, this depot has carried the soul of the Western Slope through every decade. As roof tiles arrive and construction crews prepare, that soul is finally getting the care it deserves. What do you think about Amtrak returning to Grand Junction’s historic depot? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and share this story with anyone who loves trains, history, or the American West.