Charlestonians welcomed their first train in January 1873, but the C&O Railway did not get around to providing them with a first-class station until early in the new century. The BeauxArts-inspired, Renaissance Revival depot is of stone (first floor) and brick (second floor) with terra-cotta trim. A bracketed cornice supports an overhanging red tile, hipped roof. When the depot opened just before Christmas 1905, it was touted as the “finest in the country for a city the size of Charleston, used exclusively by one railroad.” The architects and the contractors, J. E. and A. L. Pennock, were from Philadelphia.

Hemmed in by streets, as well as a bridge, river, railroad tracks, and steep bluffs, the site demands a strong architectural statement. The depot's design was deemed so worthy that a twin was built adjacent to it in 1988. The complex now serves as a restaurant, offices, and Amtrak station.