The station’s 1985 entry in the National Register of Historic Places begins as follows.
The Reading Railroad Station, Tamaqua is an Italianate style brick building, essentially one story with T-shaped plan, red sandstone foundation, regular fenestration, bracketed cornice low hip roof. Although the building includes an oriqinal depot section (1874) and two principal additions (1880, 1885) the station is unified in design and materials. It is located on the edge of Tamaqua’s downtown business district.
The earliest section of the station consisted of a one and one-half story central pavilion (concourse) flanked symmetrically by one story three bay wings (ladies’ and mens’ waiting rooms). In 1880 the building was given a T-shaped plan by the addition of a one story, four bay section to the rear (west) of the concourse followed by a smaller two bay extension. (An early 1880s glass plate negative at the Tamaqua Historical Society shows the rear of the building at this phase of the development as well as a magnificent roundhouse which no longer survives). Plan dimensions for these portions of the station are approximately 80′ x 22′ for the original building and 60′ x 22′ for the rear addition.
In 1885 a freight-house section was added to the northern end of the depot extending the main elevation by five bays to a total length of 131 feet. The roof of the freight house is slightly lower than the depot and has broad proiecting eaves supported on arched braces. This projecting shelter was continued along the eastern elevation of the original depot. Later the overhang at the rear of the freight-house was enclosed with wood construction creating additional office and storage space.
