Orlando's Church Street train depot, built in 1890, was a major catalyst for the city's development, transforming it from a small town into a bustling hub.

Historian Joy Dickinson said that before the depot, travelers from the north would take a steamboat down the St. Johns River to Sanford, followed by a 24-mile horse and carriage ride on a dirt road to Orlando, a journey that took 12 hours.

The depot, constructed by the Plant Railroad System in the Richardson Romanesque style, wasn't the first in Orlando, but it was the most grand, featuring three separate buildings linked by piazzas: the office and baggage building, passenger station, and warehouse.

Much of the original interior remains today, including wrought iron chandeliers, fireplaces, brick walls and ticket windows.

"It was qu

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