NC: This NC city will add 2nd train platform, renovate after buying historic station

Norfolk Southern and the North Carolina Railroad abandoned the only remaining passenger station designed by architect Frank Milburn in the 1980s.

After saving the Salisbury Depot from decay, the Historic Salisbury Foundation began renting out the landmark for events ranging from weddings to fish fries. However, the events are no longer providing enough income to continue maintaining the station.

Now, the city is stepping in to help. Salisbury is preserving the depot and will make additions to help return the building to its railroad focus.

Salisbury this week announced plans to expand the depot’s Grand Hall train passenger waiting area and create a transportation center with local and long-distance bus services along with pedestrian, bicycle and ride-share access.

The city also will build a second platform to accompany the current one used by Amtrak.

These changes will increase the number of people riding the train and reduce single-occupancy vehicle use by improving access to other modes of transportation, the city of Salisbury’s news release stated.

“The idea of the hub is to move those people from the depot getting off the train to anywhere they need to go in the community,” said Kelly Baker, assistant city manager.

Salisbury Station history

The Historic Salisbury Foundation noticed the station’s cracking floors, broken windows and falling plaster and decided to buy it for $220,000 in 1985.

The structure had a Spanish-mission design, decorative gargoyles and other intricate details — something the foundation thought should be preserved, said Edward Norvell, who heads the foundation’s board.

The foundation searched for private developers to renovate the building into restaurants and shops for the city, but discovered that its goal was too pricey.

Instead, they raised money to restore the building themselves. Raising $2 million, members hired an architect, replaced the roof, restored rooms, and fixed the electricity and plumbing over the course of four years.

The historic train station was featured in “Leatherheads,” a movie directed and starring George Clooney.

Clooney and his co-star Renee Zellweger, stopped at the station during the movie’s publicity tour, bringing a crowd of fans and photographers. Salisbury station was the setting of a pivotal scene and one of the shooting locations along with Greenville, South Carolina.

What’s next for train station

The city is buying the 117-year-old depot for $3.5 million, and Baker anticipates the official transfer of ownership within the next three months.

The foundation reviewed other proposals for the station, including one local proposal to take over management and one from a developer to add a brewery. Norvell said the foundation chose the best financial and long-term proposal.

The purchase and renovations are being funded by an $11.7 million grant through the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program along with funds from local and state partners, according to the news release.

The grant includes $3.2 million for site improvements as well as $8.5 million for building renovations and the initial purchase, the city said. Salisbury is providing $320,000 from its general fund and $1.7 million through the Strategic Transportation Improvements Program.

A train to Asheville is one potential use of the new platform. Salisbury is also a sponsor for the Western North Carolina Passenger Rail Restoration Project which aims to re-establish service to Asheville.

Baker said this will open Salisbury to the rest of Western North Carolina and “moving people across the region.”

“By 2045, the city is projected to support approximately 100,000 local passenger boardings and nearly 290,000 connecting trips annually, making Salisbury a key stop along the corridor and promoting tourism and economic development,” the news release said.

Baker added that the expansion is needed as Salisbury grows.

“We’re closer to 40,000 (residents) now,” she said. “This area, the state’s just really taken off, and we just see it grow in need for a way to be efficient in moving people around the city. But also, being mindful that there are people who want to use public transportation for environmental reasons or for their own personal reasons.”

The foundation will use proceeds from the sale to expand preservation efforts in the area, Norvell said.

He added that some are concerned about the city preserving the station’s architecture.

Since the building is a local landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, there are guidelines the city must follow about the interior and exterior of the building, he said.

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