Located at 300 S. Rio Grande St. in Salt Lake City, the Rio Grande Train Station opened in 1910.
The structure displays both French Renaissance and Beaux architectural styles, including large windows around the building. In 1910, the station cost nearly $750,000. Today, the building is valued at roughly $20 million, adjusted for inflation.
The Rio Grande had its first sign installed in the 1940s. In September 1975, the station was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Rio Grande now functions as the home of the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, and also houses the state’s historic archives. According to a KSL.com article, a cafe is located where the original coffee shop was when the building first opened.
“The Purple Lady” has been the most common spirit found at the Rio Grande.
As legend has it, “The Purple Lady” met her fiancé at the train station as he was leaving for war. They got into an argument and decided to call the engagement off. Her fiancé then took the ring, throwing it into the train tracks. When “The Purple Lady” went to recover the ring, she was hit and killed. She is often spotted near the cafe.
