Kirkwood station (Missouri)

Kirkwood station, also called the Kirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot, is a suburban Amtrak train station in Kirkwood, Missouri, United States. 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.

Kirkwood, MO
The Kirkwood Amtrak station in 2012
General information
Location110 West Argonne Drive
Kirkwood, Missouri
United States
Coordinates38.5809°N 90.4068°W / 38.5809; -90.4068
Owned byCity of Kirkwood
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks2
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: KWD
History
Opened1893
Passengers
FY 202231,063[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Washington
toward Kansas City
 Missouri River Runner St. Louis
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Jefferson City
toward Kansas City
 National Limited St. Louis–Union Station
toward New York or Washington, D.C.
Preceding station Missouri Pacific Railroad Following station
Barrett
toward Kansas City
 Main Line Webster Groves
toward St. Louis
Kirkwood Missouri Pacific Depot
Kirkwood station (Missouri) is located in Missouri
Kirkwood station (Missouri)
Kirkwood station (Missouri) is located in the United States
Kirkwood station (Missouri)
Arealess than one acre
ArchitectDouglas Donovan
Architectural styleLate Victorian
NRHP reference No.85001476[2]
Added to NRHPJuly 5, 1985

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.

On November 9, 2022, Amtrak announced that it planned to work on improving the station.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2022: State of Missouri" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  3. "National Register of Historic Places – Nomination Form" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  4. Colbert, Ethan. "Amtrak investing $3M into downtown Washington station". The Missourian. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
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