First of two parts.

For 37 years an imposing three-story brick building next to the railroad tracks on the city’s west side served as a depot and what may have been the area’s first 24-hour eating place. The name of this particular establishment was the Winslow House. And for many rail travelers this large depot helped to provide a very favorable introduction to the then new community of Albert Lea.

The Winslow House was opened for business on Saturday, March 8, 1878,

after the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad (M. & St. L.) built its trackage from the north into the city during November 1877. The depot was erected jointly by the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad and the M. & St. L. Thus, the Winslow House became what was known as a union depot serving several railroads during its years of operation. This was emphasized in later years when trains from the Illinois Central and Iowa Central rail lines also came to the depot from the south.

During the opening night at the Winslow House, nearly everyone in Albert Lea was reportedly present, including officials of the M. & St. L.

An elaborate banquet was served, speeches were made, and dancing took place until a late hour. The affair was described as &uot;a brilliant one&uot; and recognized as such by the St. Paul Pioneer Press in an article based on the event in the following Monday’s paper.

In those days the Winslow House was considered to be a handsome structure. Its size was 33 feet by 117 feet, with two full stories and a mansard roof with ornamental towers. It was a frame structure, with veneering of Mankato and Chaska brick, the colors being arranged In an ornamental manner. The depot’s trimmings were of Mankato limestone. These details help to emphasize that this particular building was a very substantial addition to the local architecture.

The basement was divided into a storage cellar, coal bins, and two large cisterns. The passenger rooms, ticket and telegraph office occupied a portion of the first floor for a time. (The telegraph office was later moved to the nearby freight depot.) There were two waiting rooms, one for the men and one for the ladies. Each was 22 feet by 3O feet with closets attached. The depot office was also on the first floor with coat room and wash room adjoining.

A dining room 40 feet by 36 feet, a kitchen with dimensions of 17 feet by 24 feet, and closets, storeroom and pantry took up the remaining space of the depot’s ground floor.

The depot’s dining room was a very active place and open for business on a 24-hour basis. A passenger train was arriving and leaving the station about every two hours, day and night. Albert Lea was a major stopover spot for these trains. The time used to change crews, service the engines with water, lubrication and fuel (coal), and load and unload baggage and freight could be used by the passengers and crew members to quickly eat their meals.

This dining room was reportedly always full of people. Also, local people used the Winslow House as a popular destination to eat their Sunday dinners for several decades. A four-course meal cost 50 cents, according to a news article.

The second story contained a parlor with bay window, sitting room, linen and other closets, and 15 sleeping apartments ranging in size from 1O feet by 12 feet to 11 feet by 15 feet. These small apartments or rooms were for the railroad’s male employees and some male passengers. The cost of an overnight stay was a quarter.

The third story was divided into 10 sleeping apartments equal in size to those on the floor below. This particular floor was intended for the women employees who served as the dining room waitresses, kitchen help and housekeeping staff.

The height of the first floor ceiling was 12 feet, of the second floor nine feet, and of the third floor 7 1/2 feet. The roof was flanked by two towers, with appropriate finish and ornamentation corresponding and combining with the entire exterior to make the structure what was described as &uot;a very handsome and inviting one.&uot;

A distinctive feature of the Winslow House was its location. It was situated between two sets of tracks. As a result, two passenger trains could be handled at the same time with one on each side of the depot.

In late 1914 or early 1915 the M. & St. L. Railroad made the decision to build the present trackside depot just to the east across the tracks from the Winslow House. The cost of the new depot was listed as $25,000.

The railroad firm may have wanted a smaller depot building without the hotel-like features of the 1878 station.

Thursday, June 17, 1915, saw the completion of the demolition of one of Albert Lea’s oldest landmarks &045; the Winslow House.

(Information and photo used for this article were based on material assembled by the late Georges Denzene and used with permission of his wife, Lu Denzene.)

Next: More information about the M. & St. L. Railroad and the important role it had in the development of this region.