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(rshsdepot) Canaan, CT
Editorial from The Hartford Courant
Save Union Station
July 31, 2002
NORTH CANAAN -- Residents of North Canaan and perhaps even neighboring towns
have a strong interest in supporting the fund-raising campaign to restore
historic Union Station.
The landmark building, half of which was destroyed in a serious fire started
by four boys last October, is the centerpiece of the Canaan section of town.
Visitors to North Canaan will measure the town by the condition of its most
distinguishing asset and, for now, charred remains are all they can see.
That's crushing. North Canaan is a railroad town. Although passenger traffic
ended in 1967, the grandly elegant station was still used for freight
transfers and the town successfully parlayed its 130-year-old railroad
legacy into a tourist attraction. The station is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Union Station provided North Canaan with a distinct architectural and
historic focal point. The shops at the station included the popular Keilty's
Depot restaurant, which served an estimated 45,000 customers a year, the
Whistle Stop Café and Berkshire Hills Model Railway Supply, a collector's
paradise.
Restoring the station to its grandeur would reaffirm the town's pride in
itself. Allowing the station to pass into history would be a tragedy.
Ms. Keilty and the building's owner, Paul Ramunni, an accountant whose
business was based at the station, and others kicked off the fund-raising
campaign, appropriately enough, during the recent Railroad Days celebration,
the town's main annual summer festival.
Their goal is to raise $400,000, which combined with a fire insurance
payment would cover the cost of rebuilding the station. For now, the group
hopes to raise some of the money through the sale of engraved bricks for a
minimum of $75 each. The fund-raisers should look for possible government
funding for such historic restoration.
Bringing Union Station back to life will take a sustained community effort.
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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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