The first railroad line through Marion was built by the Dubuque Southwestern Railroad, extending westward from
Anamosa and
Springville in 1863. It then expanded southwest to the city of
Cedar Rapids in 1865. This railroad later became under control of the Milwaukee Road in 1881. The second line to Marion was completed in December 1872 by the Sabula, Ackley and Dakota Railroad Company. This line extended east to
Sabula, Iowa and the
Mississippi River. On July 2, 1872, the Milwaukee Road also took control of this railroad, including it in its Iowa Division. The Milwaukee Road built westward from Marion to
Council Bluffs, and opened the line in 1882. This gave the Milwaukee Road access to the important city of
Omaha. With the division point moving to Marion, maintenance shops and a
roundhouse were also built on the eastern edge of town. The development of the railroad was considered vital to the growth of Marion, and the Milwaukee Road was the largest employer in Marion at one point. The division point was shifted away from Marion to
Atkins in 1918. The now-obsolete roundhouse and other shops were demolished. This was considered a major factor in the decline of Marion. In 1955, passenger trains of the
Union Pacific Railroad were shifted from the
Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) to the Milwaukee Road for their Omaha–Chicago section.
Streamliners such as the
City of Denver,
City of Portland,
City of Los Angeles and the
City of San Francisco now served Marion, after originally serving
Cedar Rapids Union Station on the C&NW. Eventually, the trains were consolidated into one train, dubbed the "City of Everywhere."
Amtrak took over intercity rail in the United States on May 1, 1971. The line through Marion was not kept in service and the last Milwaukee Road passenger train to board passengers in Marion on April 30, 1971. The station remained in use as offices for the Milwaukee Road until the railroad went bankrupt in 1980. The station was then bought by two local residents, in an attempt to save the structure. Efforts to move the structure or restore it were seen as too expensive. With demolition of the structure looming, a deal was struck to move the structure across 11th Street to City Square Park. The roof was moved and 19,000 bricks from the station were used for a new pavilion. A
caboose and other rail cars from the
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway were also situated in the park. The surrounding
commercial area was listed as a
historic district in 2009, but the structure was listed as "non-contributing" as it is "essentially a modern building." ==Station description==