Katy Station’s Uncertain Future Worries Preservationists

If you’ve ever pedaled the Katy Trail out of Columbia, you’ve probably passed close to the building that gave the trail its name without realizing it. Katy Station, the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad depot in downtown Columbia, has stood on its corner since the early 1900s — long before the MKT tracks were pulled up and turned into the trail that now runs past our own bluffs on its way across the state.

Now its future is in question. Shiloh’s Bar and Grill, the restaurant that’s occupied the building for years, is set to close in December, and rumors about what comes next — renovation, sale, even demolition — have been swirling around downtown Columbia, according to KBIA.

Nobody with the authority to say has confirmed anything. The building is privately owned, which means the owner can legally alter or tear it down without the city’s sign-off. But Columbia’s Historic Preservation Commission discussed the possibility of demolition at its August meeting, and that’s enough to worry the people who care about the building’s history.

“I don’t think the historic value of the Katy Station can be overstated,” Matt Fetterly, a member of the commission, told KBIA. “When you look at old pictures of Columbia, you get a sense of connection to the past because that building is there every decade. In every iteration of Columbia, that building is there.”

Katy Station has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. It stopped selling passenger tickets in 1963, but for the decades before that, it was where people arrived and left — for good, for war, for weddings.

“The station was the town’s living heartbeat and it served as a silent witness to homecomings, wedding parties and tearful wartime departures,” Chris Campbell, executive director of the Boone County Historical Society, said. “It has witnessed generations of life in Columbia unfold.”

Elena Vega, who leads the board of CoMo Preservation, told KBIA the uncertainty itself is part of the problem — nobody’s saying much of anything, which leaves room for rumor.

“There’s just so many rumors flying and people are very upset, and I think with more knowledge, people can be a part of a conversation instead of just being upset,” Vega said. “Historic buildings are more than structures. They help tell the story of the people, businesses, neighborhoods and events that shaped our community. Once a historic property is demolished, its architectural character, craftsmanship and connection to our shared history cannot be replaced.”

For those of us further down the trail, it’s worth paying attention. The Katy Trail exists because that old MKT rail corridor got a second life instead of getting paved over or fenced off — Rocheport’s own depot didn’t survive that transition the way Katy Station has. Katy Station is one of the few original stops still standing along the whole route. What happens to it says something about whether the rest of what’s left along our stretch gets the same care.

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission is in the final stages of drafting a new preservation plan, according to KBIA. No demolition has been approved, and nothing is final. We’ll keep an eye on it.

Update, Oct. 19, 2026: A campaign called Save Katy Station has since formed to keep the depot standing, and it held a public meeting on the building’s future Oct. 4 at Shiloh’s Bar & Grill. Read more: Katy Station campaign sets Oct. 4 public meeting at Shiloh’s Bar & Grill.