This building was erected in 1901 by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad to serve as its Rock Island passenger depot. For many years, this depot was a hub of activity, with as many as thirty two arrivals and departures daily, and twenty one ticket agents working around the clock. The Renaissance Revival style station was designed by Charles S. Frost of Frost and Granger, Architects, of Chicago. It had a smoking room and men's toilet on the west side (behind the fireplace), and a retiring room and women's toilet on the east end. The ticket office was in front of the bay window. Baggage was apparently held in the pavilions; there is no designation of a baggage room on the original plans. The general waiting room in the center of the building offered a direct view of the trains. A platform canopy protected those waiting outside for trains from the weather. The original building had a clock tower which rose to a height of 80 feet. The depot was constructed by Rock Island building contractor John Volk at a cost of about $75,000--a substantial sum at the time.
In the 1930's, the clock tower was removed. In the 1950's, the entrance was moved to the center of the south wall, and the men's and women's restrooms were rebuilt on the east end of the building. A small kitchen and lunch room were added on the west end. A dropped ceiling, about 12 feet from the floor, blocked the view of the ornate plaster ceiling. The windows and doors on the north wall were "modernized", with inferior materials. Various openings in the walls were created, and other doorways closed.
As passenger trains gave way to air and highway travel, train depots became obsolete. The last scheduled passenger train left this station on May 31, 1978, and the depot was closed "permanently" in April of 1980. At the request of the City of Rock Island, the deteriorating depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Efforts to revive the classic structure failed until 1994, when the City of Rock Island purchased the property from the Iowa Interstate Railroad. The City restored the exterior in 1996, and replaced the clock tower. The entrance was returned to the southeast corner of the building. Much of the stone base was damaged beyond repair, and was replaced with stone from the same quarry in Ohio that supplied the original base.
Adjacent to the depot was an old freight house, built with the same types of bricks and roof tiles as had been used on the depot. The freight house was deteriorated beyond repair. When it was demolished in 1997, its bricks and tiles were salvaged and used as necessary for replacements on the depot renovation.
In 1999, the City sold the property to Abbey Station LLC, which is owned by Joseph and Joan Lemon, and their son, Joseph Jr. The Lemons own The Abbey Hotel in Bettendorf, a converted Carmelite monastery. The Lemons have renovated the depot into "Abbey Station", which they operate in conjunction with The Abbey Hotel.
The interior of the depot has been transformed into the most elegant ballroom imaginable. First, new mechanical systems (electrical, heating and air conditioning, and plumbing) were installed; then the ceiling was repaired and new moldings were added. An addition containing the kitchen and restrooms was constructed. The west pavilion was enclosed and transformed into a bar. New wall surfaces and paint were followed by custom-designed chandeliers and sconces and a cast-stone fireplace. Imported wool carpeting, lavish draperies and original artwork complete the interior decorating.
Abbey Station has a seating capacity of 260. It is available for banquets, meetings and parties, as well as special events. Bookings are arranged by the staff of The Abbey Hotel at (563) 355-0291.