Restoration in Progress

Rolling Stock Restoration

Underneath the large tent, exterior surfaces are being stripped, repaired, and repainted. The work is being performed by local contractor Dan Thayer and should be completed in by the end of the year. As a part of this restoration, historically compatible windows will be installed on the passenger car.

So far, PDHC has raised about $108,000 of the $225,000 needed to restore the rolling stock exteriors. A gift of any amount will help us to reach the goal of raising $225,000 to restore the rail cars to their original appearance. As part of this special appeal, we’re offering a limited opportunity to be recognized for sponsoring each of the 36 passenger car windows for a gift of $1,000.

Your gift directly supports restoring the original appearance of the rolling stock and will protect the cars from further deterioration for decades. As the cars are brought back to life, this project will also restore an authentic sense of Pullman’s past while adding interest and character to the Pullman Depot Heritage Center, and to the entire downtown area.

The rail car restoration campaign has been named for Ken Vogel, a beloved downtown business owner and train enthusiast.

Click here to head to our GIVING page

25.08-20 RS resto - sanded patch1

25.08-20 RS resto - west side of passenger car

23.06-04

25.08-20 RS resto - sanded patch1

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Soffits - June 2023

Electrical Upgrades

In July, there is yet more trenching to lay underground conduits that will carry utilities from the basement to enclosures near the hillside. The visual clutter of wires and meters on the north side of the building will be cleaned up, but this work is more than cosmetic. New transformers will provide higher-efficiency power that will better support the building’s future needs.

This project has been made possible by an extremely generous donation.

Electrical Contractors NW Inc. is the project lead.

25.08-20 electrical - pad01

25.08-20 electrical - pad02

25.07-15 electrical upgrades

25.08-20 electrical - pad01

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Pullman Depot Ranked Sixth for Legislative Funding 2023-2025

The Heritage Capital Project (HCP) Advisory Panel met Tuesday, August 23, 2022, to rank a list of applications recommended to the Washington State Legislature for funding in the 2023-25 biennium. The panel recommended a grant award of $237,000 for the Whitman County Historical Society, to be used for ongoing restoration of the Northern Pacific Railway Depot in Pullman. The award comes on the heels of a similar award of $258,000 in the previous 2021-23 biennium.

Funding is awarded in the form of expense reimbursement and requires a two-thirds match, so the nearly half a million dollars of legislative appropriations require double that amount from other sources including private donations. Masonry restoration began in 2021. Subsequent efforts funded by the recent grant will include roof replacement, window restoration, electrical upgrades, and restroom accessibility improvements.

For more information:

Heritage Capital Projects: All the HCP projects for 23-25

https://www.washingtonhistory.org/across-washington/grants/heritage-capital-projects/

Project Rankings: https://www.washingtonhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HCP-B25-Final-Ranking-1.pdf

MASONRY restoration

The masonry restoration on the Pullman Depot was completed by Pioneer Waterproofing, with design by Design West Architects.

Multiple sections of sandstone foundation were deteriorated. Those sections were removed, and replaced by newly cut and shaped sandstone from a quarry that has stone with a good color match.

The Masonry work is funded through our generous donors and a grant from the Washington State Heritage Capital Project.