Seaboard Air Line Railway Station

Seaboard Air Line Railway Station

Built 1926-27, listed in the National Register of Historic Places 1990
1300 W. Hillsboro Boulevard, Deerfield Beach

Photo captions:
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Station, 1940s
Image Courtesy of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society

Seaboard Air Line Railroad Station, 2011
Image Courtesy of Broward County Libraries Division

This Mediterranean Revival structure was designed by Gustav A. Maass, an innovative architect from Louisiana. Maass also designed three other stations for the Seaboard Air Line Railway, the stations in West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. The station in Boynton is identical to the Deerfield station. The station was designed for both passenger and freight service. In 1927, over 30 years after Henry Flagler had brought the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) into South Florida, the Seaboard Airline Railway (SAL) became the second railroad line serving the region when the Orange Blossom Special arrived on January 8.

The Butler brothers, J.D. and George, prominent farmers in the Deerfield area, assisted in getting the right of way for the railroad. It is said that they stipulated that any station built be equal to that in Delray. It was a produce shipping center and many farmers from Lake Okeechobee and Pompano rented warehouses there. There was a dirt road that led from the station to Oakland Park Boulevard. The Butler brothers shipped carloads of cucumbers, beans, peppers and eggplant to Chicago and New York.

The station is typical of many terminal buildings constructed during the “Boom” period of the 1920s. It is essentially unchanged, except for minor interior alterations. In 1942, the Army Air Corps took over the warehouses to store materials for building the base in Boca Raton.

Under the management of the Deerfield Beach Historical Society, the South Florida Railway Museum is located in the historic former Seaboard Air Line Station. Its goal is to preserve the history of railroads in southern Florida, and educate the public about the importance of railroads in the region, past and present. A comprehensive museum dedicated to the impact of the railroad on South Florida history is planned for the site. For more information, call 954-429-0378 ​​