BELTON, Texas — A big red depot at the corner of East Street and First Avenue in Belton used to be lifeless, but now, it's a commercial destination.
"It gets exciting when you think of what this used to be," Jay Williams, owner and head chef at Railway Express Diner at the newly transformed Belton MK&T Depot, said.
The once empty train station has turned into a destination for food, wine, coffee and more. Thanks to the work of the Potts family and a few of their business partners, a yearlong project has come to life.
"We decided that the depot would be a great place, not just to renovate for businesses to come in but just to help capture that original history of the Belton downtown," Luke Potts, co-owner of the Belton Depot and The Katy, said.
Since 1899, this giant red depot served as a train station, and over the last few decades, it's been empty... until now.
"The history of this and how it ties into the founding of Belton, Texas and Central Texas as a whole is what makes this different," Luke Potts said. "We have amazing places to eat down here. We have a diner, Latin restaurant, wine bar, Warm Cookie Company and coffee. If you're ever looking for a date night this is the place to go."
Co-owners Kayla and Luke Potts wanted to preserve as much as they could of the old station's history.
"Whether it comes to the old wood or different scales for weighing the freight, we all tried to keep it intact so people could see what it was like back then," Luke Potts said.
Williams said he loves being reminded of history every time he serves a hot plate.
"The dining room is where you used to go in and buy your tickets to get on the train," Williams said. "Where we actually serve out food through to our waitresses is where you bought the tickets to get on the train."
Full of history and lots of food, the Belton MK&T Depot is officially open for business.
The building that sits next door, called The Katy, is their next project, full of restaurants expected to be finished in the next few months. Once the project is finalized, 10 new businesses will be brought to Downtown Belton.
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