Danville (Amtrak station)

Danville
Location 677 Craighead Street
Danville, VA
Owned by City of Danville
Line(s)
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 1
Construction
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code DAN
History
Opened 1899
Rebuilt 1922, 1995
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 9,697[1] Increase 18%
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
toward New Orleans
Crescent
Lynchburg
Danville Southern Railway Passenger Depot
Location Danville, Virginia
Coordinates 36°35′2.5″N 79°23′1.8″W / 36.584028°N 79.383833°WCoordinates: 36°35′2.5″N 79°23′1.8″W / 36.584028°N 79.383833°W
Architect Frank P. Milburn, R.B. Graham
Architectural style Renaissance
Governing body City of Danville
NRHP Reference # 95000895[2]
VLR # 108-0058-0012
Significant dates
Added to NRHP 1995
Designated VLR April 28, 1995[3]

The Danville, Virginia, Amtrak station was built in 1899 from plans drawn by the noted Southern Railway architect, Frank Pierce Milburn. In 1915, a track expansion required that the track be moved 133 feet to the northeast. The station was jacked up on rollers, and crews used mules and stump pullers to roll the building. It is said that the move was done so skillfully that not a single brick was cracked.

In 1922, the building was almost destroyed by fire during a raging snowstorm. Southern Railway rebuilt the building to its original specifications, minus the spire that had formerly graced its roofline.

With the demise of public rail transit, the building fell into disuse, and for years, Amtrak passengers had to walk through an underground tunnel and wait on a platform between the tracks. In 1993 it was closed to passenger service temporarily and bought by the City of Danville. In 1995, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The same year, a group of local civic leaders sought federal ISTEA funding and local contributions to renovate the station. It is now part of the campus of the Danville Science Center, the first satellite facility of the Science Museum of Virginia. It also includes the Danville Farmer's Market and a former Pepsi Cola bottling warehouse.

Routes

The station is currently served by the Crescent passenger route.

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Danville County Listings on the National Register of Historic Places
  3. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 19 March 2013.

External links