The Manassas Railroad Depot, built in 1914, serves as the City’s Visitor Center and is the signature icon of Historic Downtown. It is a working train station and home to the offices of Historic Manassas, Inc. (HMI), a Virginia Main Street organization. It's also a busy stop for Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter trains and Amtrak service. VRE connects passengers to Washington, D.C., while Amtrak lines run from Lynchburg through Manassas and connect the City to the entire country by rail.
But there were earlier depot buildings. In the early 1900s, a small wooden depot could not handle the amount of freight and passenger traffic stopping in Manassas, so in 1904, the Southern Railway (the new owner of the line) constructed a large brick building just down the line from the older structure. Unfortunately, a devastating fire in 1914 destroyed the building. Using the foundation that had survived the fire, the Southern Railway quickly rebuilt, and this 1914-built depot still operates today.
