(rshsdepot) Tucson, AZ

[Bernie Wagenblast <brwagenblast_@_comcast.net>]

Photo Links:
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/images/3_28_02depot2.jpg  (1925 view of
depot)
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/local/images/3_28_02depot3.jpg  (1997 view)

Old depot now on track for major renovation

Mayor Walkup and other dignitaries kick off a $26 million downtown
development effort.

PAUL L. ALLEN
Tucson Citizen
March 28, 2002

More than 300 onlookers applauded yesterday as Mayor Bob Walkup gingerly
hauled back on a bulldozer's control lever and knocked down a block wall, a
symbolic gesture that launched a renovation project that will breathe new
life into Tucson's historic downtown railroad depot.
City Councilman Fred Ronstadt admitted he was "very jealous of the mayor"
because he had the fun of knocking down the wall, which was not part of the
original structure.
But, Ronstadt added, the project is important.
"Downtown is the fabric of Tucson," he said.
Using more than $7 million in Federal Transit Administration funding, the
renovation project is expected to take 12 years to complete and will cost an
estimated $26 million.
The city acquired the depot in September 1998 for $2.1 million. It will be
restored to its appearance in 1941 and will house a transportation museum.
A shelter will be built for the historic steam locomotive No. 1673, on
display nearby, and more than 12,000 square feet of leasing space will be
available for a restaurant, shops, galleries and private offices. The depot
will house offices for Amtrak, the Old Pueblo Trolley and and a future
high-speed rail system.
It will comprise the eastern end of the Rio Nuevo Project and serve as a
gateway to the project's entertainment complex.
Other aspects of the project include the demolition of the City Hall Annex
to allow for a parking garage and retail space; demolition of the McGuire's
Jewelers building and the Greyhound Bus Station, to allow for plaza space;
and improvements to spur track and platform to enhance access to trains.
U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor, in Tucson for the ceremony, followed Walkup at the
controls of the bulldozer.
"My daddy sent me to college so I wouldn't have to do this kind of work,"
said the Phoenix Democrat, whose district includes part of Tucson.



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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

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