The Depot was built by Richmond and Danville Extension Co. in 1883-84 after completion of the Georgia and Pacific railroad line between Birmingham and Atlanta, three years before the Town of Leeds was incorporated. Richmond Terminal Co. operated the Georgia-Pacific lines until 1888, when Richmond and Danville Railroad took over, and Southern Railway succeeded it in 1894. Efforts to save the historic building began in 1980 after Southern merged with Norfolk to become Norfolk-Southern Railroad, and restoration was completed in 1984, one hundred years after its construction. In 1999, the City of Leeds renovated the baggage room and turned it into a public meeting room. Two museum rooms in the Depot feature railroad history, records, and artifacts. The Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and is also listed in the registers of the Jefferson County Historical Commission and the Alabama Historical Commission.