One of only two surviving railroad freight depots in Chattanooga, the Freight Depot at 1200 Market Street is one the city’s oldest structures. Originally an iron foundry, the oldest part of the building was constructed in 1871. In 1894 the structure was converted into a freight depot by the old Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Railroad, which was taken over by the Southern Railway in 1901. Known for most of the 20th century as the Southern Railway Freight Depot, our building fell into disuse following the decline of the railroad industry, eventually housing John’s Railroad Salvage during the late 1970s. In 1983 the depot was designated a National Historic Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. By the end of the decade, the first phase of the Warehouse Row urban revitalization project brought a collection of upscale outlet stores to the building. 

Henderson Hutcherson & McCullough purchased the Freight Depot in 2005, and retained River Street Architecture for a historic renovation, beginning with the removal of an ahistorical addition to reveal the original Market Street facade. Most of the bricks remained from the building’s 19th-century construction and expansion, bearing the name of the manufacturer, Copeland-Inglis Shale Brick Company of Birmingham, Alabama. HHM and River Street Architecture also chose to retain the flooring’s gradual east-to-west slope, which for decades made the movement of unloaded freight easier for laborers. The use of partial walls inside exposed the beautiful wood of the original ceiling and trusses, returning the authentic 19th-century character to the interior and bringing a unique warmth and openness to the work space. The conference room and kitchen tables were crafted from the original rafters and flooring removed to construct the lobby staircase. The renovation was completed in February 2007. The historic Freight Depot is also home to Evergreen Management, SRC Technology Solutions, and Southside Creative Group, all affiliates of HHM.