[2] Prior to the Union Depot's construction, Keokuk was served by deplorable rail facilities that were described as being little more than shanties.

The depot was used by the KJRY as the base for their tourist train operations, and its trolley rides across the Mississippi into Illinois.

The depot is a Late Victorian style, Romanesque Revival, brick structure with sandstone trim.

It features an asymmetrical elevation that includes a peaked roof in the middle and round-arched window and door openings.

A steel, curvilinear-roofed canopy that provided shelter for passengers and freight runs the length of the depot on the east side.