Railway Express Agency Building

The Railway Express Agency Building was a historic building located at 1804 Western Avenue in Mattoon, Illinois. The building was constructed in 1918 to serve as the Mattoon office of the Railway Express Agency. The Railway Express Agency provided rail express shipping services to Mattoon's citizens, allowing them to ship money and packages along Mattoon's two major railways, the Illinois Central Railroad and Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis (Big Four). The agency formed in 1917, when the federal government ordered that all existing express services consolidate into a single service; this measure ensured consistent shipping of goods during World War I. The agency shipped goods to and from Mattoon until 1964, when the Big Four went bankrupt; the building served as a freight depot until 1971.[2]

Railway Express Agency Building
The building in July 2013, shortly before its demolition
Location1804 Western Ave., Mattoon, Illinois
Coordinates39°28′59″N 88°22′36″W
Arealess than one acre
Architectural styleEarly Commercial
NRHP reference No.94000974[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPAugust 16, 1994
Removed from NRHPJanuary 2, 2020

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 16, 1994.[1] It fell into disrepair due to disuse, however, and was demolished in July 2013.[3] It was delisted in 2020.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Slaughter, Patrick J. (April 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Railway Express Agency Building" (PDF). Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  3. Zyskowski, Kayleigh. "Once 'very busy' freight site torn down near midtown Mattoon". Journal Gazette & Times-Courier. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.


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