BIG FOUR ARTS DEPOT

The Depot served Anderson as a passenger Depot between 1887 and 1971. It was later renovated as a facility for the performing arts and has been a home to the Anderson Young Ballet Theatre since 1985.

The Depot was once the hub of the community, and in 1932, it was reported that the "Big Four" had sent 8,760 passenger trains to The Depot in that year alone. In 1932, the "Big Four" employed 1,500 persons in Madison County and was the county's largest taxpayer at $133,000 per year.

In 1971, the last passenger train left the "Big Four" Depot. The building was boarded up and left to decay for ten years. After a fire in in the early 1970's, the Panhandle Station at 9th Street and Fletcher Ave., the Big Four was the only surviving depot in Anderson.

In 1980, Anderson attorney, John Eisele rescued the dilapidated building and with extensive remodeling, it became the "Park Tudor" gift shop. The gift shop sold fine gifts, china, and housewares. A new roof was added to the building, the inside was painted, and the floor was repaired. None of the interior walls were disturbed, but a display platform was added to the interior on the east end of the building. The elegant shop was closed for unknown reasons in 1982.

In 1983, Ms. Elsie Perdue purchased the building from Mr. Eisele on contract. It was Elsie's dream to open a center for the performing arts. For two years, the Performing Arts Station hosted competitions for artists and poets, a street fair, poetry readings and afternoon musicals. The center also offered music lessons and held art shows. The west end of the building housed a railroad museum which displayed model trains and early railroad trivia. Unfortunately, patronage alone could not sustain the costs of operating the center and it reverted back to its former owner, Mr. Eisele, in 1993.

AYBT AT BIG FOUR ARTS DEPOT

In 1985, the Anderson Young Ballet Academy signed a lease agreement with the owner and in September, 1994, the Anderson Young Ballet Theatre's Board of Directors purchased the Depot as a permanent facility for the performing arts.

In 2002, the Depot underwent a 12-month $1.5 million historic renovation with the help of a historic preservation grant. In May 2011, Dillon Street in front of the Depot was renamed Young Drive after AYBT Founder, Lou Ann Young.

The Big Four Arts Depot still remains today, home of the Anderson Young Ballet Theatre and Academy.