(rshsdepot) Huntsville, AL

["J. Henry Priebe Jr." <root_@_net.bluemoon.net>]

1856 freight depot in Alabama saved 
Post by Alco83 04/30/04 at 20:33:20 in "Preservation"
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TRAINS:  HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - The oldest railroad building in Alabama, the Memphis & Charleston Railroad freight depot, has been saved from demolition and will be restored by the Historic Huntsville Foundation, according to a story this week in the Huntsville Times.

The depot, located next to the Historic Huntsville Depot on Church Street, was badly damaged in a fire on March 11. With the few brick walls left standing deemed unsafe, owner Norfolk Southern had scheduled the ruins for demolition. On March 25, intervention by Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Huntsville), ensured a stay of execution. But the future of the building, built in 1856 and until 1996 the second-oldest continually used freight depot in the world, remained uncertain. Now, Norfolk Southern has agreed to donate the depot and lease the site to the Alabama Historical Commission, as well as contribute $20,000 toward the estimated $35,000 cost of emergency repairs. 

"After the fire, we were of the opinion that there really wasn't enough left to salvage," said Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman. "But the Historic Huntsville Foundation convinced us that there was enough of the facade worth salvaging, and that they would be able to do it." 
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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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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #903
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The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org