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By Paula Pyzik Scott
With excerpts from A&D social media

When a building outlives its original purpose, what happens to it? Upper-level students from Ohio Northern’s Art & Design program asked this question about Ada’s 1887 Pennsylvania Railroad Depot at Central and Main. During an 8:00 p.m. outdoor event on October 23, they projected their visions onto the building.

In one student’s segment, ghostly train cars rolled across the windows, doors and siding of the building. Another moment showed visitors departing the depot in a horse and carriage.

The state purpose of the event was “to spark dialogue around preservation, memory, and identity by reimagining how we engage with the physical and historical landscape of our village.” Guests and students viewed images that were both informative and evocative of the depot's history.

In prior weeks, students toured the building with Mayor Dave Retterer and conducted historical research at the Ada Public Library with guidance from library director Rhett Grant.

One of the design students commented that she had never been on a train. Another felt the red caboose emblazoned with “Pennsylvania” was the site’s biggest attraction. Others express their regret that the second floor, where a model railroad club once met, can no longer be accessed due to a deteriorating staircase. One suggested it is the perfect place for an Ada history museum.

DID YOU KNOW?
“The Ada Depot, originally built as the Ada Pennsylvania Passenger Station, stands as a rare example of Stick Style architecture in rural Ohio. Stick Style is characterized by its decorative wooden “stickwork” that emphasizes a building’s structural framework.

“Constructed entirely on site from white pine and sandstone by about 40 skilled Pennsylvania Railroad craftsmen, the two-story depot measures 26 by 76 feet and showcases beautiful decorative woodwork, exposed rafters, stained glass windows, and corbelle chimneys. Inside, it features sawtooth brick fireplaces, high 16-foot ceilings, and spaces that once served passengers, freight, and a telegrapher’s office. 

“Larger than most small-town depots, the Ada Station reflected the community’s rapid growth as a college town and served as Ada’s gateway to the outside world. Today, it remains one of the Midwest’s finest examples of Stick Style architecture and a proud symbol of Ada’s history.”

The Grafik Intervention program taught viewers just how critical the depot was to Ada in the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries. The railroad even brought a U.S. president to Ada.

DID YOU KNOW? “In 1910, President William Howard Taft arrived at the Ada Pennsylvania Railroad Depot, to give the fall commencement speech at Ohio Northern University. To date, Taft is the only president to visit the village.”

The railroad was the equivalent of our expressways, as the major route for bringing people and goods to the village. Records show that in 1887, some 2,400 students came to ONU by train.

The 1887 building now sits beside tracks that carry freight traffic but no passenger trains. It consists of two rooms that can accommodate 25 people; the rooms are connected by a wide hallway with a kitchenette and restroom facilities. 

The Depot is owned by the Village of Ada. With the Ada council chambers accommodating only a handful of guests, the Depot is used for some public meetings and can be rented for small events. It is also part of events held by the Ada Area Chamber of Commerce.

The ONU students are compiling results from a survey conducted at the Grafik Intervention. 

What other visions will be suggested for the Depot? Handicapped access, modernized bathrooms, a functioning second floor? WiFi access, a big screen monitor? A totally new purpose?

Even if it did not have a big red caboose next to it, the 1887 Pennsylvania Railroad Depot would be recognizable as a train station with its track-side canopy and luggage wagon. Indoors, many original features remain, revealing its lineage and age.

Is the Depot on indefinite pause? Or will Ada create a timetable for its future?