Hope (Amtrak station)

Hope

The station building in 2007.
Location 100 East Division Street
Hope, Arkansas
Line(s)
Platforms 1 side platform
Tracks 2
Construction
Disabled access Yes
Other information
Station code HOP
History
Opened 1912 (StLIM&S)
April 4, 2013 (Amtrak)
Closed 1968
Traffic
Passengers (2013) 1,310[1]
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Texas Eagle
toward Chicago
Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot--Hope
Location N of jct. of E. Division and Main Sts., Hope, Arkansas
Coordinates 33°40′8″N 93°35′32″W / 33.66889°N 93.59222°WCoordinates: 33°40′8″N 93°35′32″W / 33.66889°N 93.59222°W
Area less than one acre
Built 1917
Architectural style Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Bungalow/craftsman, Mediterranean
Governing body Private
Part of Hope Historic Commercial District (#95000905)
MPS Historic Railroad Depots of Arkansas MPS
NRHP Reference # 92000610[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP June 11, 1992
Designated CP July 28, 1995

Hope is a passenger rail station in Hope, Arkansas. The station is located on the Amtrak Texas Eagle line, currently serving communities from Union Station in Chicago to San Antonio, Texas. Amtrak service began on April 4, 2013, and the first train was greeted by fireworks in the early morning hours. More than 150 local citizens boarded the Texas Eagle to ride to Texarkana, then returned on school buses to enjoy a community breakfast in Hope.[3] The opening of the station had to be delayed in July 2012 when an error in constructing the platform was discovered.[4]

History

The red brick Hope depot was built in 1912 by the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Missouri Pacific Railway, more commonly known as the “MoPac.” The building exhibits the MoPac’s signature Mediterranean Revival style architecture, especially in the gabled red tile roof. A combination depot, the building originally housed passenger and express services under one roof.[3]

The depot remained in active passenger use until November 1968, and then fell into disrepair for many years. However, the station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 11, 1992. To celebrate the election of Hope native Bill Clinton to the U.S. presidency in 1992, a group of citizens advocated for the conversion of the depot into a museum focused on Clinton's life.[3] With the museum concept in place, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, by then part of Union Pacific Railroad, donated the depot to the city in 1994. Renovations were finished the next year, and the facility opened to the public. The building also houses a visitor and information center.[3]

The tourism possibilities created by Clinton’s presidency prompted civic leaders to approach Amtrak in 1993 about making Hope a regularly scheduled stop for the Texas Eagle. During the depot renovation, part of the building was set aside with the idea that it could one day serve as a passenger waiting room. The persistence and hard work of city officials paid off in October 2010 when Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman traveled to Hope to announce that the stop had been approved by Amtrak and the Union Pacific. Exhibiting pride of place, each section of the concrete platform is stamped with “Hope, a Slice of the Good Life”—the city’s logo and a reference to its famous watermelons.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2013, State of Arkansas" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Great American Stations. Accessed April 8, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kristie Avery (July 20, 2012). "Opening for Amtrak station put on hold until platform matches certain specifications". Texarkana Gazette.

External links