Central
Station Then
Central Station Now
Located
at 545 South Main Street, Memphis Central Station was built in 1914.
Central Station was the home of the IC, Frisco and Rock Island, and in
the
1960's, the L&N. The L&N moved to Central Station from Union
Station
when Union Station closed in the early 60's. Union Station was located
two
blocks east of Central Station on the corner of Third and Calhoun and
was
torn down when the present main Memphis Post Office was constructed.
Union
Station's other tenants, the Southern Railway and Missouri Pacific
moved
their passenger trains to their freight depots, located at Court and
Lauderdale
Streets an on West Calhoun Street respectively. Even though still used
by
Amtrak, Central Station fell into disrepair following the abandonment
by
the Illinois Central as a divisional headquarters and the
discontinuance
of rail passenger service by the railroads. In the last couple of years
it
has been undergoing a $23.2 million dollar redevelopment and a Gala and
festival
were held on September 24th and 25th, 1999, to mark its re-opening. The
$250
per person Gala and dinner dance was held on September 24th in
the
Station's Main Hall
and on
the Station
Platform,
while
on September 25th a free festival was on South Main Street. Public
tours
were given during both events, including visits to model apartments
among
63 being constructed on the upper floors. Festival goers also toured an
Amtrak
Train and
the building, and saw
a model train exhibit. When completed in November, the renovated
station
will have a new Amtrak ticket office, a police precinct station, 8,000
square
feet of commercial space, as well as the main hall which will be for
public
use. The first phase of the project was completed last August and
included
a bus transfer area, two parking lots, Amtrak platform canopy,
landscaping
and lighting.
Links to other pages about Central Station: