Original Construction
1921
Completion Date
1995
National Register of Historic Places

The Belding Depot is a historic train station in a prominent downtown location. The station had been vacant for two decades until the municipality recognized the structure's potential as a civic anchor. Seeking to transform the abandoned transit hub into a multifunctional community facility, the city secured funding from the Michigan Department of Transportation under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) to support a comprehensive adaptive reuse.

Architects Four, Inc., the parent company of HopkinsBurns Design Studio, served as both the architect of record and the construction manager while working alongside the City of Belding. The team updated mechanical and electrical systems, implemented full ADA accessibility, and converted the unfinished storage areas into an accessible public meeting room for city council and board of education gatherings. The firm sensitively integrated offices, meeting spaces, waiting areas, and public restrooms for the city's dial-a-ride program and historical society. This renovation was accomplished while preserving and enhancing unique historic building features, such as large rolling barn doors, ticket sales windows, and high tank toilets. As a result of those efforts, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.