Lexington Depot

For the former U.S. Army facility in Avon, Kentucky, see Lexington Army Depot.

Lexington Depot, or Lexington station, is a former train station in Lexington, Massachusetts on the Lexington Branch.

Lexington
Lexington Depot in 2010
General information
Location	13 Depot Square, Lexington, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42.448612°N 71.227846°W / 42.448612; -71.227846
Owned by	Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
Line(s)	Lexington Branch
Platforms	1
Tracks	1
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	1846
Closed	January 10, 1977[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station North Lexington toward Bedford Lexington Branch Munroe toward North Station

History

The trainshed and former platform in 1984, before the Minuteman Bikeway was built on the former trackbed

The station opened in 1846 as part of the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad. It was damaged by fire on November 24, 1918.^[2] Although a new station was planned, the old station was instead restored in 1921–22.^[3] These renovations, designed by Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley, included a cupola and colonnade.^[4]

The line became part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Commuter Rail system in the 1960s, though the station building was converted to a bank by 1968.^[5] In January 1977, following a major snowstorm which temporarily shut down the Lexington Branch, the MBTA announced that service on the branch would not be restored;^[6] in the 1980s, the MBTA planned to extend the Red Line to Route 128 along the former path of the Lexington Branch as part of the Northwest Extension, including service to Lexington station, but fierce opposition from the residents of Arlington scuttled this plan, and the Northwest Extension was cut short to Alewife.

The building now serves as the headquarters of the Lexington Historical Society.^[6] The Minuteman Bikeway runs through the former trainshed adjacent to the former station platforms.^[7] Lexington and Bedford Depot are the only remaining station buildings from the Lexington Branch.

References

1. Belcher, Jonathan. "Changes to Transit Service in the MBTA district" (PDF). Boston Street Railway Association.
2. "Lexington Station Damaged By Fire". Boston Globe. November 25, 1918. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Lexington to Have a New Railroad Station". Boston Globe. December 16, 1921. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Yearby, Jean P. (1984). "Photographs: Historical and Descriptive Data: MA-21 Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad Lexington Depot" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. National Park Service.
5. O'Connell, Richard W. (August 18, 1968). "Old railroad depots take on new careers". Boston Globe. p. A-1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "About the Lexington Branch". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2015-06-09.
7. Henry, Alan P. (August 10, 1977). "There's no depot like an old depot". Boston Globe. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

• Media related to Lexington Depot at Wikimedia Commons
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MA-21, "Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad, Lexington Depot, Depot Square, Lexington, Middlesex County, MA", 3 photos, 2 data pages, 1 photo caption page