Stonewall station

Stonewall
LYNX light rail station
Looking south across the I-277 bridge.
Location	260 East Stonewall Street Charlotte, NC 28202
Coordinates	35°13′17″N 80°50′49″W / 35.22139°N 80.84694°W / 35.22139; -80.84694
Owned by	Charlotte Area Transit System
Line(s)	Lynx Blue Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Bicycle facilities	Racks available
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	August 30, 1996
Rebuilt	November 24, 2007
Previous names	Westin
Services
Preceding station   CATS   Following station Carson toward I-485/South Boulevard Lynx Blue Line 3rd Street toward 7th Street   Former services   Morehead toward Atherton Mill Charlotte Trolley 3rd Street toward 9th Street

Stonewall is a light rail station for the LYNX Blue Line in Center City Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The station, which features side platforms that sit on either side of the tracks, is located on top of the parking structure for the Westin Charlotte, which it is also adjacent too.^[1] Access directly to Stonewall Street is by nearby stairs and elevator. Notable places nearby the station include Bank of America Stadium, Duke Energy Center, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Mint Museum Uptown and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

History

The station first opened for service on August 30, 1996, for the historic Charlotte Trolley, with one track and one wooden platform. In 2001, during construction of the Westin Charlotte, the original wooden platform was removed and the bridge over the John Belk Freeway was refurbished. In mid-2002, the station reopened with a temporary wooden platform at the end of the bridge over the John Belk Freeway. In 2003, the station was renamed the Westin Station after completion of the Westin Charlotte; a new platform for the station was built on-top of the parking structure of the adjacent hotel.^[2] On February 6, 2006, the station was closed again for reconstruction for the LYNX Blue Line; the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) decided going forward to call it Stonewall Station again. The station officially reopened for service on Saturday, November 24, 2007, and as part of its opening celebration fares were not collected.^[3] Regular service with fare collection commenced on Monday, November 26, 2007.^[3] Charlotte Trolley service resumed on April 20, 2008, but was scaled back to weekend and special events in 2009. In 2010, the Charlotte Trolley service to the station was discontinued.^[4] In 2015, the side platforms were lengthen to allow three-car trains at the station.^[5][6]

Bridge controversy

In 1991 when the South College site was chosen as the location for the new Charlotte Convention Center, the demolition of the original rail span built in the 1950s was imminent. Its demolition became necessary as it would not properly align with the proposed design of the new convention center. As a result, it was demolished in 1991 even though it was a known route for a future light rail or trolley line into Uptown.^[7] The construction of the replacement span commenced in Spring 1999 and was complete by summer 2001.^[8]

Public art

As part of the CATS Art in Transit program, Stonewall features several pieces intended to provide a better overall aesthetic for the station. The works include bas-reliefs entitled Gingko by Alice Adams, drinking fountain basins designed to look like dogwoods, the North Carolina state flower, by Nancy Blum, leaf motifs on both the pavers and shelters by Leticia Huerta and track fencing featuring maple leaves by Shaun Cassidy.^[9]

References

External links

• Stonewall Street entrance from Google Maps Street View