Danville station

Danville station, also known as Danville Southern Railway Passenger Depot, is a historic train station in Danville, Virginia. It is currently served by Amtrak, the United States' national passenger rail service, and is a stop on the Crescent line.

This article is about the train station in Danville, Virginia. For the former station in Kentucky, see Junction City, Kentucky.
Danville, VA
Location677 Craghead Street
Danville, VA
United States
Owned byCity of Danville
Line(s)Norfolk Southern Railway
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Construction
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak code: DAN
History
Opened1899
Rebuilt1922, 1995
Traffic
Passengers (FY2018)6,934 annually[1]  5.46% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Greensboro
toward New Orleans
 Crescent Lynchburg
toward New York
Danville Southern Railway Passenger Depot
LocationDanville, Virginia
Coordinates36°35′02″N 79°23′02″W
ArchitectFrank P. Milburn, R.B. Graham
Architectural styleRenaissance
NRHP reference No.95000895[2]
VLR No.108-0058-0012
Significant dates
Added to NRHP1995
Designated VLRApril 28, 1995[3]

History

The 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 that broke out during a raging snowstorm, which prevented firefighting teams to reach it. Southern Railway rebuilt the building to its original specifications, except for the spire that once topped the station. With the decline of passenger use of railroads, the building fell into disuse. For years it was closed and Amtrak passengers had to walk through a tunnel and wait for trains on an open platform between the tracks.

In 1993 the station was closed to passenger service temporarily and bought by the City of Danville. In 1995, the station 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. In addition to serving Amtrak passengers, part of the station is now used as a campus of the Danville Science Center. This is the first satellite facility of the Science Museum of Virginia, ironically also a former train station. The station is also used for the Danville Farmer's Market.

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, Commonwealth of Virginia" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. June 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  2. Danville County Listings on the National Register of Historic Places
  3. "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
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