Correction: The Niles Amtrak became part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It was added to the Michigan State Registry in 1992. The article has been corrected.

A longtime pillar of the Niles community, the Niles Amtrak station, is turning 125 years old.    

To celebrate, the Four Flags Garden Club will host a party from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the depot, at 598 Dey St.

The party will feature several speakers including Gretchen Bertschy, the 1st Ward city council member; Elaine Metzger, the garden club’s historia;, as well as representatives from the Niles History Center, Friends of the Silverbrook Cemetery and the Niles Main Street Downtown Development Authority.

The historic depot was built in 1892 and served as a train station for the Michigan Central Railroad until the depot was purchased by the New York Central in 1931. In the 1970s, Amtrak took over operations of the station and continues to run the depot today.

The Niles Amtrak became part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It was added to the Michigan State Register in 1992.

Karen Persa is Four Flags Garden Club Amtrak liaison and public relations associate. For Persa, it was the Neo-Romanesque architecture which drew her to the building and reminded her of the train stations she saw while growing up in Chicago. When Persa saw the station after her move to Niles more than 19 years ago, she knew at first glimpse how rare the depot building was, especially since so many stations have been shuttered with the advent of online ticket purchases.

Persa said it is incredible that the depot has reached such a milestone.

“The city is so blessed to have this significant, important building here and still surviving,” Persa said. “As the years go by, I am seeing all of these beautiful buildings being torn down and replaced with steel and concrete high rises or office buildings.”

The depot made Persa feel she had found a little slice of her hometown.

“When I looked at that beautiful depot, I felt like I was back in Chicago,” Persa said.

For those who visit the Amtrak station, the depot has long served as more than a thoroughfare for passenger. It has also helped Niles to earn its namesake as “The Garden City,” due its lush and well cared for gardens.

The grounds were first tended by German gardener John Gipner. Under his care, those arriving at the station were treated to a large park and greenhouse, where flowers for bouquets that were given to travelers were distributed.

Gipner passed away in 1957, but his gardens would live on through those willing to lend a helping hand, including Ray Suabedissen, who helped to restore the gardens after the fell into disarray following Gipner’s death.

Among those helping to preserve the legacy of the garden and history of the depot are members of the Four Flags Garden Club, who volunteer to weed, plant and tend to the garden.

The look of the depot not only garnered attention from the community and travelers, but also from movie producers.

In its history, the depot has been featured in three different movies, including “Continental Divide,” “Midnight Run” and the Twentieth Century Fox feature “Only the Lonely,” through the “Only the Lonely” the station was able to acquire some outdoor lights that were needed to brighten up the station.

Persa encouraged the community to attend the celebration.