Edward A. Vincent

Edward Arista Vincent (c. 1825 – November 27, 1856) was an architect, cartographer, and civil engineer, known for his design for Atlanta's antebellum railroad depot Union Station – destroyed by the Union Army during the Battle of Atlanta in the American Civil War.

Vincent was probably born in London, immigrating to the United States in 1849. Living first in New York City, he moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1851. He became a U.S. citizen in 1852. That year he launched himself into the public eye, advertising his services as a civil engineer and architect in Savannah, Macon, and Augusta newspapers. According to Caldwell, he was more likely an engineer rather than an architect. He had offices in Macon, Augusta, and Atlanta. Vincent fell suddenly ill in November 1856 and died twelve days later. He was about thirty years old. His body was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

Vincent was hired by the Western and Atlantic Railroad in 1852 to design a modern passenger depot in Atlanta. It was built by Henry Franklin Jeffries and was completed in April 1853. It was 300 feet long and 100 feet wide included a ticket office, baggage storage rooms, waiting rooms, and a food stand. According to Caldwell, "no structure could have spoken more eloquently for the new city than this purely utilitarian" building.

In 1864, the depot was demolished by Federal troops under the command of General Sherman during the occupation of Atlanta. Neither Vincent nor Jeffries lived to witness the depot's destruction. Although Vincent advertised himself widely as an architect, no other examples of his work are currently known.

A scaled-down copy of Vincent's Depot has been recreated in Atlanta's Stone Mountain Park.

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