Kirkwood station (Missouri)

Kirkwood

The Kirkwood Amtrak station in February 2016.
Location 110 West Argonne Drive
Kirkwood, MO 63122
Coordinates 38°34′51″N 90°24′24″W / 38.5809°N 90.4068°W / 38.5809; -90.4068Coordinates: 38°34′51″N 90°24′24″W / 38.5809°N 90.4068°W / 38.5809; -90.4068
Owned by City of Kirkwood, Missouri
Line(s)
  Missouri River Runner
Platforms 1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks 2
Other information
Station code KWD
History
Opened 1893
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 58,375[1] Decrease 0.98%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward Kansas City
Missouri River Runner
Terminus
Kirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot

Kirkwood Amtrak Station as seen from the South Kirkwood Road grade crossing
Location W. Argonne Dr. at Kirkwood Rd., Kirkwood, Missouri
Coordinates 38°34′54″N 90°24′29″W / 38.58167°N 90.40806°W / 38.58167; -90.40806
Area less than one acre
Built 1893
Architectural style Late Victorian
NRHP Reference # 85001476[2]
Added to NRHP July 5, 1985

Kirkwood, also called the Kirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot, is a suburban Amtrak train station in Kirkwood, Missouri. Located in downtown Kirkwood, it is one of three Amtrak stations in the St. Louis metropolitan area; the other two are the Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis, and the Alton station. The station is run entirely by volunteers. It is the third busiest Amtrak station in Missouri.

History

In 1851, land where the current station is located (Argonne Avenue and Kirkwood Road) was obtained from Owen Collins by the Pacific Railroad for a right of way. The track for the Pacific Railroad to Kirkwood was completed in 1853. The first train arrived May 11, 1853, for an auction sale of lots, making Kirkwood the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi. The town was named for the chief engineer for the railroad, James P. Kirkwood.

In 1863, a frame depot was built. Here members of the first school board met to draft the charter of the Kirkwood School District, which was granted in 1865. In 1893, Douglas Donovan was hired by the Missouri Pacific Railroad to construct the current stone station to replace the wooden station. The current station remains today as an outstanding example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.

Commuter trains ran to and from Kirkwood until 1961. A train turn-table was located near the present Farmers Market for the engines to be turned for the return trip to St. Louis and for the helper engines, which were used to help freight trains manage the "Kirkwood Hill," prior to the arrival of diesel engines. Though originally deemed ineligible for such status,[3] the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1985.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2015, State of Missouri" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  2. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places - Nomination Form" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2008-05-30.

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