This week, the Monon Depot will temporarily be moved from its location along the Monon Greenway in Midtown to a lot near Shannon Door Company on 3rd Avenue SW. It will remain there while construction of the new Carmel Clay History Museum is underway.
The city wants to reassure the public that the utmost care will be taken to ensure the depot is not damaged during this process, and that it is returned to its spot along the Monon when the exterior of the new museum is nearly finished.
This isn’t the first time the depot has been moved. After the depot closed in 1974, the building showed nearly a century of wear, but residents and city officials recognized the historical significance of the building. In the summer of 1976, the city government partnered with the newly established Carmel Clay Historical Society to raise funds for the relocation and restoration of the depot. A non-profit called Save the Depot was created in the spring of 1977. That fall, the historical society held its first Christmas Bazaar to raise money for the Depot Restoration Fund.
The L&N Railroad required that the depot be moved back 30 feet from the tracks. In 1979, land was purchased behind the depot, and the building was moved onto its current site on Sept. 17, 1980. After years of restoration, the depot opened in 1987 for the city’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. In 2013, the depot was added to the National Register of Historical Places, and it has served as the museum and headquarters of the Carmel Clay Historical Society ever since.
The depot was constructed in October 1882, making this its 140th anniversary. The depot will continue to be a historical landmark along the Monon as part of the new museum. The interior will be restored and will house a permanent train exhibit.