Venice Area Historical Society

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Depot History

History of the 1927 Historic Venice Train Depot

In 1903, a subsidiary of the Seaboard Air Line Railway brought the first train into what is now Sarasota County. In 1911, the tracks were extended 16.5 miles south at the request of Bertha Honoré Palmer, a Chicago businesswoman who was a major landholder in the area. Palmer named the new terminal Venice. The original train stop and siding were located near the current corner of St. Augustine Avenue and Tampa Avenue West.

In 1925, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers ("BLE") purchased land to develop the City of Venice according to a plan drafted by noted city planner John Nolen. The BLE recognized a new depot would be essential for importing materials and attracting potential land buyers and visitors to Venice. Completed in 1927, the new depot was the last structure built before the BLE closed operations in Venice in 1928.

Image circa 1927

Designed by the architectural firm of Walker and Gillette, the depot is historically and architecturally significant. Built as a racially segregated building with two waiting rooms, it was fifty feet wide and four hundred feet long. The depot's architecture embodies the Mediterranean Revival style planned for the City of Venice. When it opened on March 27, 1927, the depot was heralded as the finest station on the Seaboard Air Line Railway.

Image circa 1927

Over the years, many station agents served at the depot, handling reservations, ticketing, and freight. Two agents are remembered for their courteous service to the traveling public and their involvement in the Venice community: Devon Grady Hough, serving in Venice from 1949 to 1956; and Donald W. DeCoster, Sr., serving in Venice from 1963 to 1975. Both had long careers with the Seaboard. The Donald W. DeCoster, Sr. Exhibit at the depot illustrates the work of a station agent.

Image circa 1949 of DeVon Grady Hough, Sr.

The last passenger train departed from the depot in 1971, but freight traffic continued until 1997. In 1975, the depot building closed, and subsequently fell into decline. Sarasota County purchased the structure in 1999 and renovated it in 2002-2003. Dedicated on October 24, 2003, the restored depot stands as a magnificent representation of early Venice architecture. The renovation added forty feet on the south side of the building to accommodate the Sarasota County Area Transit ("SCAT") bus system hub.

Image date and credit unknown

The original depot cost $47,500 to construct. The renovation cost $2.3 million: $1.4 million funded by the Florida Department of Transportation; $825,000 by Sarasota County; and $75,000 by the City of Venice.

On March 22, 2005, a portion of the current Depot Campus was designated as the Rollins W. Coakley Railroad Park. It was named for a former VAHS president in recognition of his tireless efforts in preserving and restoring the depot.

The Depot's Role in the History of Venice

The 1927 Historic Venice Train Depot was the entry point for three institutions that influenced Venice's growth and development in the twentieth century.

In 1932, the Kentucky Military Institute ("KMI") chose Venice as its winter headquarters. From 1933 to 1970, the KMI cadets arrived by train at the depot after New Year's Day and left around Easter. Family members and friends came to Venice to visit and enjoy the mild winter weather.

Image circa 1950's

In 1942, the U.S. Army established the Venice Army Air Base and utilized it until 1945. Its facilities were able to accommodate up to 6,000 people, and some 22,000 personnel were trained there. The depot was a prime entry point for people and material during the war, thereby playing a vital role in our nation's history.

Image circa 1942

From 1960 to 1992, Venice was the winter headquarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Each winter, the circus train came to Venice and stayed for one to two months while performers prepared for a new season of acts in the Venice Circus Arena. Although the depot had closed in 1975, the railroad tracks and the depot property were used by the circus during its winter stay in Venice until 1993 when the remaining circus equipment was removed from the arena.

Image circa 1967