At a crossing
<p>SHAWN GUST/Press Jim Loer looks back toward the area where trains would pick up passengers in the early 1900s during a tour of the historic Rathdrum train depot on Wednesday. Loer and his wife Helen remodeled the building with modern conveniences and styling and now have the property for sale.</p>
RATHDRUM - Jim Loer remembers the Idaho and Washington Northern railroad depot in Rathdrum when he was traveling from North Carolina to Bremerton, Wash., during World War II in the Navy.
Little did the 88-year-old Coeur d'Alene man know at the time that he and his wife, Helen, would buy the depot built in 1908 decades later as an investment fixer-upper.
After owning the landmark for more than three years, renovating the inside mostly by themselves and using it to both live in and for Bible studies, the Loers have the property for sale for $199,000.
"It's time to quit," 87-year-old Helen said matter-of-factly with a smile.
The outside of the brick building at 8047 Post behind Granny's Pantry on Highway 53 still resembles the depot in its day and an old fountain still stands in the yard.
"We wanted to keep it that way because we love history," Helen said.
New windows, doors and a new roof have replaced those deteriorating parts of the building.
The inside has been overhauled, including new wiring, plumbing, a furnace, cabinets and kitchen. A few signs of yesteryear, including colors reflecting that era and the rounded shape of the former ticket booth, exist on the interior of the 1,822-square-foot building with three bedrooms and one bathroom.
"It was in the renovation stages when we bought it," Jim said. "We thought it was too good of a building to tear down and destroy, so that's why we remodeled."
Helen said the building - zoned residential on .91 of an acre - was "gutted" when they bought it.
Jim likes to take on projects and he's a fan of the Great Northern Railroad, which he believes changed the Old West more than anything. Working at a train station was also one of his first jobs as a teen. So tending to the depot was a labor of love and a chance to hold on to a piece of history.
"There's not many of those things that are still around," he said.
Jim and Helen have been married for 63 years. He was a pastor in several states and used his contractor skills to build churches.
With Jim's eyesight starting to fade and his hearing not the same since a shell misfired when he was serving on the battleship USS Washington during World War II, the couple decided it's time to turn the depot over.
"The building could be used for a lot of different things," he said. "You just have to go through planning and zoning."
The depot, one of two in Rathdrum, is among several historic buildings that serve as a reminder of Rathdrum's bustling past. The city is one of the oldest towns in North Idaho and served as the county seat from 1881 to 1908.
"We're pleased that the exterior of the depot remains intact," said Ellen Larsen, a member of the Rathdrum/Westwood Historical Society. "It's a very significant part of our history."