This 1885 depot is a rare surviving example of an early Corvallis wooden depot. It is the only example of the Swiss Chalet style in the area. Many original architectural elements survive like the massive freight doors on the warehouse. This depot served the Willamette Valley & Coast Railroad line to Yaquina Bay. The railroad was later known as the Coast Railroad, the Oregon Pacific Railroad, and the Southern Pacific.
Some early community leaders envisioned Corvallis as a rail shipping point. They invested in this rail line anticipating that cargo ships bound for Portland from ports south along the west coast would prefer to dock at Yaquina Bay, because it was not as far north. Freight would then be shipped by rail to Corvallis, saving shipping companies great expense and promoting Corvallis’ as an industrial distribution center. Unfortunately, these entrepreneurs built the railroad before learning that Yaquina Bay is not deep enough to accommodate the ocean going vessels they hoped to attract.
The original Oregon Agricultural College Incubator House is on the same property, as is the Poultry Building that has been moved several times and restored. These two buildings were originally part of the OSU agriculture department. The Incubator House was the Poultry Department's first building and the 1893 2-story building, remodeled in 1913 is the fourth oldest extant OSU structure. Originally the Horticulture and Photography Building, the Poultry Building stood north of Benton Hall, and in 1911, OAC moved it to make way for engineering buildings. Now in its 5th location, the Poultry Building retains its architectural details and original glass windows, The Incubator Building, in its 3rd location, retains original venting tubes on the exterior. The buildings were reunited here in 2005 and privately rehabilitated for commercial and residential use.