Union Station

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Union Station is a historic train depot built in 1906 by the Meridian Terminal Company, whose members were representatives of the five railroads that operated in Meridian. Today, the depot is also known as the Meridian Multi-Modal Transportation Center, serving as a bus and an Amtrak train stop. Much of the building is not original; the only original portion is the eastern wing. Nevertheless, the depot has been rebuilt to match the original Mission Revival architecture and configuration. It is also a contributing property of the Meridian Downtown Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. Next to depot is another building, the former Railway Express Agency building, that once housed the Meridian Railroad Museum, which appears to have closed in 2018.

Images

Union Station was originally built in 1906 by the five railroad companies that operated in Meridian. Only the east wing is original.

Architecture, Property, Facade, Real estate

Interior design, Amber, Light fixture, Interior design

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Railroading began in Meridian when the Mobile & Ohio and the Alabama and Vicksburg Railroads arrived in the 1850s. From that point forward, railroading grew and Meridian became the largest city in the state by 1900. As noted above, five railroads operated in the city, with 44 coming and going each day. It cost $250,000 to build the depot and it opened in August 1906. The original tower was torn down in the 1940s and the rest of the building, except for the east wing, was demolished in 1966. In the early 1990s, the city started to examine the possibility of building an intermodal station. After years of planning and construction, the project was completed in December 1997.

In 1979, the depot was added to the Union Station Historic District. This district was later incorporated into and ultimately replaced by the Meridian Downtown Historic District, which also includes the former Meridian Urban Center Historic District.

Sources

"Meridian, MS – Union Station (MEI)." The Great American Stations. Accessed January 11, 2020. http://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/meridian-ms-mei.

"Union Station." City of Meridian. Retrieved from the WebArchive on January 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20080509171013/http://www.meridianms.org/transportunionstation.html

"Union Station Historic District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 18, 1979. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/368d15d9-ede4-4e00-bddb-59c9f43c7670.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

All images via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Union_Station_(Meridian,_Mississippi)

Additional Information

"Meridian, MS – Union Station (MEI)." The Great American Stations.