Point of Rocks.

This article was first published on October 6, 2010. The architecture is still beautiful, so we're sharing it again!

Train stations are the perfect nexus of transit and architecture geekdom. They’re monuments to all the things that urbanists hold dear. Luckily, the Washington area is full of wonderful examples of historic depots, big and small. Just about everyone is familiar with Union Station, but have you seen Point of Rocks? Fredericksburg? Gaithersburg?

Here are some pictures of particularly interesting historic train stations in the region, starting with four (header photo and these three below) designed by famed B&O Railroad architect Francis Baldwin.

Mt. Royal Station in Baltimore. Image by James G. Howes licensed under Creative Commons.

Gaithersburg. Image by BobDrzyzgula licensed under Creative Commons.

Rockville. Image by Mr. T in DC licensed under Creative Commons.

The Fredericksburg and Perryville stations are clearly cousins, though they were built by different railroads.

Perryville. Image by DanTD licensed under Creative Commons.

Fredericksburg. Image by Antony-22 licensed under Creative Commons.

The Fredericksburg station features industrial-style covered platforms, which are rare for the Washington region.

Image by Stephen Graham licensed under Creative Commons.

Before Union Station was built, B&O Railroad had its own DC depot. It’s been gone a century, but Frederick’s 1854 station is architecturally similar, and still stands.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's New Jersey Avenue Station in the late 1800s. Image by Library of Congress.

Frederick (standing but not in use).

Being an industrial city, Baltimore is full of interesting depots.

Camden Station. MARC still stops here, but they don’t use the historic depot. Image by AndrewHorne licensed under Creative Commons.

The President Street Station (1850) is the oldest surviving big-city train station in the US. Image by MamaGeek licensed under Creative Commons.

Here are a few more from around the region. Baldwin-designed stations are marked with an asterisk.

Harpers Ferry*. Image by Acroterion licensed under Creative Commons.

Manasass. Image licensed under Creative Commons.

Chesapeake Beach. Image by Pubdog licensed under Creative Commons.

Laurel*. Image by Pubdog licensed under Creative Commons.

Sykesville*. Image by Bryan Costin licensed under Creative Commons.

Martinsburg, with hotel attached. Image by Mitchazenia licensed under Creative Commons.

Fairfax Station. Image created with Google Maps.

Kensington*. Image by Caseyjonz licensed under Creative Commons.

Based on a post from BeyondDC.

Dan Malouff is a transportation planner for Arlington and an adjunct professor at George Washington University. He has a degree in urban planning from the University of Colorado and lives in Trinidad, DC. He runs BeyondDC and contributes to the Washington Post. Dan blogs to express personal views, and does not take part in GGWash's political endorsement decisions.