Rock Island Depot and Freight House /

The Rock Island Depot and Freight House is a turn of the century two story railroad station and adjacent one story freight house. It was constructed in 1899 directly besides the Illinois River in the American city of Peoria, Illinois. The depot and freight house are Peoria's last remaining historic reminders of the importance of the railroad in the city's past. The 1900 opening of the depot was attended by "throngs of populous;" at its height before the depression of the 1880s, Peoria was a transportation hub, rivaled only by Chicago in the Midwest. The station's clock tower was removed in 1939. The buildings were listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978. After the end of train service, the building became known as River Station, and has been a restaurant, and afterwards a set of restaurants and bars.