Burlington station (Iowa)

Burlington station is a train station in Burlington, Iowa, United States, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. The station, located at 300 South Main Street, is open 24 hours a day, but there are no Amtrak personnel or ticket machines at the station at any time: tickets must be purchased in advance or on the train from a conductor. The station acts as transfer hub for Burlington Urban Service (B.U.S.), a local municipal bus system; riders can transfer to every bus route in the B.U.S. system.[4]

Burlington, IA
Burlington station in June 2014.
Location300 South Main Street
Burlington, Iowa 52601
United States
Owned byBNSF Railway
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks3
ConnectionsBurlington Urban Service (B.U.S.)
Other information
Station codeBRL
History
RebuiltMarch 28, 1944[1]
Passengers
20188,668[2] 2.82% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Mount Pleasant
toward Emeryville
California Zephyr Galesburg
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Mount Pleasant Desert Wind
Discontinued in 1997
Galesburg
toward Chicago
Preceding station Burlington Route Following station
West Burlington
toward Denver
Main Line Gladstone
toward Chicago
Terminus BurlingtonQuincy Carman
toward Quincy
BurlingtonSt. Louis Wever
toward St. Louis
Preceding station Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Following station
Sperry Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway Terminus
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Station
Location300 S Main Street,
Burlington, Iowa
Coordinates40°48′20″N 91°6′6″W
Area2.9 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1944 (1944)
ArchitectHolibard & Root
Architectural styleModerne
NRHP reference No.01001540[3]
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 2002

Designed by the well-known Chicago-based architectural firm of Holabird and Root for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), the station was built in 1944 after a fire burned down the previous structure in January 1943.[1] The depot exemplifies the streamlined mid-century modern aesthetic that came into vogue in the 1930s. The two-story station, constructed of reinforced concrete, is faced in buff-colored Wisconsin Lannon fieldstone laid in a random ashlar pattern.[5] Areas for train and bus passengers were located on the lower level while the upper story contained offices for the general superintendent, freight agent, division engineer and telephone and telegraph operators. There was also space for trainmen to sleep and relax between shifts.[6]

The two-story waiting room features walls clad in a buff Montana travertine; durable terrazzo floors; and black marble accents and trim. On one wall of the waiting room, the CB&Q inscribed many of the major achievements that it had accomplished in its namesake city, such as the testing of inventor George Westinghouse's air brakes in 1887.[7]

The California Zephyr at Burlington in 1995.

Following a flood in the summer of 1993, the city purchased the building from the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1994 and undertook a series of renovations including roof repairs and the installation of new windows. A “Friends of the Depot” group also formed to help the city maintain the structure and encourage ideas for its adaptive reuse. Using more than $1,000 donated by Amtrak, the Friends organized work days in 2011 and 2012 during which volunteers painted the depot's exterior trim and caulked windows.[8]

References

  1. "New Union Station in Burlington". The Des Moines Tribune. March 28, 1944. p. 9. Retrieved July 1, 2019 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2018, State of Iowa" (PDF). Amtrak. June 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-06. Retrieved 2010-05-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013
  6. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013.
  7. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013.
  8. Great American Stations. Accessed April 7, 2013.

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