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Show 355 QUINCE STltEET I SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 84103 Milford, Utah, is a town of 1,304 people (1978 census) on the edge of the desert near the western border of the state. After the Union Pacific depot was established in 1880, Milford became' a major railhead for the shipment ,of ore, minerals and cattle; on the Salt' Lake-Los Angeles _passenger route, Las Vegas and Milford became the major division points. The present Milford Union Pacific Railroad DepOt was built in 1923. It has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places on the basis of its significance as one of the best examples of Mission Style architecture in Utah. According to the National Register documentation, "athough, there were many depots throughout Utah, none of the smaller towns had or have a depot of the scale of the Milford Union Pacific Depot. " Union Pacific now wishes to demolish the depot. According to railroad officials, - the depot is a large building, no longer used as a depot; - it is not economic to continue to operate and maintain such a large building; - the railroad plans to build a smaller building to house the dispatcher and several other offices on the site of the present depot; - if the townspeople of Milford wish to preserve the depot, they could move it to another site; - the present depot requires mechanical upgrading, etc., which the railroad is not willing to do for 'its limited use; - use of the depot by other parties is not possible because the depot is too close to the tracks. The townspeople of Milford do want to preserve their depot, which is practically the only lammark in the community. They cared enough to obtain a restraining order q-om· the district court to prevent the depot's demolition. The railroad is a major employer in the community, however, and, due to undercurrents of marked displeasure from railroad officials (according to tow1iSpeople), the Milford City C9,Uficil has recently agreed to drop the lawsuit. The railroad adVertised this week for demolition bids. Due to the significance of the building, and present and future development potential in Milford, the Utah Heritage Foundation feels that-the decision to |
