Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

The Thirsty Pagan Brewery in Superior, Wisconsin was built inside the historic Soo Line Depot. The depot was built in 1908 by Wisconsin Central R.R. as a passenger depot. It was purchased by the Soo Line purchased the depot in 1909. It was used for passenger service until 1967 and it continued to be used as a freight terminal until 1989. The building was purchased, and then sold again and in 2019, the Brewery rented the space.

We were only there long enough for a few beers and a sampling of appetizers, but we liked everything we tried. And since the Men's room was at the other end of the depot, I was able to take a quick tour and snag several door photos. I like the fact that the building still looks like a train depot, including most of the doors. One thing that surprised us was when the bartender yelled "TRAAAAAAAAAAIN!" and we looked up from our beers to see a train passing about 8' (2.5m) from the bar window. It seems the old passenger rails are still in use.

In a couple photos, you can see the signature Soo Line neon sign known as the Dollar. Below is what Trains.com said about that:

"A large Soo Line "dollar" lighted neon logo is on the roof of the depot, but it does not belong to the restaurant. After the Soo closed the depot, the sign was donated to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, where it was placed in storage. A few years later, the then-owner of the building inquired if he could get it back. A deal was struck: the sign would be returned to the building on indefinite loan from the museum, provided the building owner restored and maintained it in operating condition, and would light it at the museum's request. The new owner of the building is honoring that agreement and the sign will remain on the depot."

Trains.com

I also found a news story about the brewery that made me feel good as I was reading it.

Thirsty Pagan Brewing holds a special place in our City as the Twin Ports' very first craft brewery, and their business model of good food, good beer, and good citizenship has made them a landmark in Superior.

It is only fitting that they should continue their story by saving another landmark, the historic Soo Line Depot. Each year, new businesses are proving that some of Superior's greatest opportunities are hiding in the places that other had rejected or forgotten. I want to thank both Deb Emery and Steve Knauss for their vision and investment, and I want to thank WEDC for recognizing once again that a brewery is one of the best places to grow our community and our economy. A historic brewery in a historic building is simply the best place to tell the stories of our city and to toast the future.

Jim Paine, Mayor - Superior, Wisconsin

Thanks to all who are participating this week. I look forward to seeing your doors and I encourage my readers to poke around and visit a few other door lovers.

If you are in a hurry and don't wish to scroll through the comments, click to Jump to the comment form.