After years of sitting idle, the historic Santa Fe Railroad Depot in Cleveland will be on the move Thursday from its present location on N. Manthey St. to its new home at 119 S. College Ave. The owner, Juan Cuellar, said he and his family have big plans to restore the depot.
“My intention from Day 1 was to bring it back to its former glory,” said Cuellar, “and I am excited to say we’re one step closer to making that dream a reality, God willing.”
As a lifelong resident of Cleveland and a 1993 graduate of Cleveland High School, Cuellar said he cares deeply about preserving the City’s history.
He and his family already have invested a substantial amount of money into the project already, purchasing the depot from the Bower family (who bought it from the City of Cleveland), purchasing the property on S. College Ave., hiring Faulkner House Moving to relocate the building, and removing the roof and reinstalling it once the building is relocated.
His plans are to do a complete restoration of the building and then transform it into a steakhouse, offering guests an opportunity to experience the history of the building while enjoying a delicious meal.
“Knowing that I am going to do this in my hometown matters greatly to me,” said Cuellar, who plans to pull on his experiences working from top restaurants in the Houston area to make this new venture a success.
The building move will begin between 9 and 10 a.m. Thursday. Rusty Faulkner with Faulkner House Moving said the move, if all goes as planned, will take roughly 30 minutes. The building will be moved in two parts – the second part being moved next week.
“It is going to tie up most of Houston Street while we are transporting it through town,” Faulkner said. “The building is almost 18 feet tall and 33 feet wide. It’s a big structure with a lot of history. We are going to do what we can to salvage the building and get it relocated safely.”
If you want to watch the move, the side streets along Houston Street between Manthey and College streets, and parking lots along Houston Street, are the best places to park and watch. Please be aware of your surroundings as you move about as there will be multiple vehicles helping get this piece of history transported through Cleveland.
Glad You are saving it. Looking foward to some wonderful delicious steaks.