Grand Trunk station (Lewiston)

The Grand Trunk station is a historic railroad station at 103 Lincoln Street in Lewiston, Maine. It was built in 1874 for a spur line connecting Lewiston and Auburn to the Grand Trunk Railway, to which it was leased. It is through this station that many of the area's French Canadian immigrants arrived to work in the area mills. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.[1]

Grand Trunk railroad station
1912 postcard showing the station
Location103 Lincoln St., Lewiston, Maine
Coordinates44°5′37″N 70°13′12″W
Built1874 (1874)
NRHP reference No.79000127 [1]
Added to NRHPJune 4, 1979

Description and history

Lewiston's Grand Trunk station stands in its mill district, at the northwest corner of Lincoln and Beech Streets. It is a rectangular single-story brick building, with a gabled roof. The roof has extended eaves supported by large brackets, and there are finial turrets near its gable ends. Windows and doorways are set in segmented-arch openings, with granite sills. The end facing Lincoln Street is adorned with remnants of painting identifying the Grand Trunk Railway.[2]

The station was built in 1874 by the Lewiston and Auburn Railroad Company and leased to the Grand Trunk Railway, connecting Lewiston with the Canadian National Railway.[3] Many French-Canadian immigrants arrived in the Lewiston-Auburn area via the station, leading the building to be known as the "Ellis Island" of Lewiston.[4] After rail service to the station stopped, it lay abandoned for decades, and various uses for the building were proposed.[5] In 2010, the Lewiston and Auburn Railroad Company was awarded a Recovery Act grant by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to renovate Grand Trunk Railroad Station.[4] Although the building presently houses a restaurant, proposals are being developed to reintroduce service on the line, connecting Lewiston and Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Grand Trunk Station". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  3. Skelton, Kathryn (8 August 2010). "What is the Lewiston and Auburn Railroad Co.?". Sun Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  4. "MICHAUD PRAISES $200,000 INVESTMENT IN LEWISTON-AUBURN RAILROAD COMPANY". Website of Congressman Mike Michaud. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  5. Skelton, Kathryn (8 August 2012). "The future of Lewiston's 'Ellis Island' may be decided Wednesday after 30 years of vacancy". Sun Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
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