Constructed in the early twentieth century, it has endured closure and a series of modifications to survive to the present day, and it has been declared a historic site.

[2] In 1902, desiring service from a second railroad, Bloomington and Perry Townships offered a large cash bonus to whichever company would add a second rail line in the city.

Four years later, Illinois Central Railroad took up the offer, and upon finishing its route into the city, it decided to erect a station dedicated to freight traffic.

[3]: 2  From its earliest years, the depot played an important part in the development of Bloomington's heavy industries: many limestone mills and the large Showers Brothers furniture factory were located in its immediate vicinity.

Because the building's primary purpose was the transfer of goods between wagons and railroad cars, the ground floor is elevated above the street by about 3 feet (0.91 m).

This portion of the roof is one of the more distinctive sections of the depot from an architectural point of view: the rafters and braces were left uncovered at the overhangs.