KIRKWOOD, Mo. (KMOX) - The Kirkwood Train Station is the heart of the city, with the current station dating back to 1893.
"It's the third busiest Amtrak station in the state of Missouri," said Art McDonnell, President of the Historic Kirkwood Train Station Foundation and former Kirkwood Mayor on Total Information A.M. "A lot of people come to Kirkwood to get on a train and disembark.
"Kirkwood has always been a train stop."
While the station has had some updates, it has been long due for a renovation. In November, the long-awaited renovations will begin to come to fruition.
"The station will look pretty much like it does now and we will add also onto it a passenger platform to the east, which existed but was taken down in 1941," said McDonnell.
The $5.7 million renovation project will address poor lighting, inefficient HVAC system, sagging roof members, all while preserving and retaining the historic character of the property, the original architectural elements, and distinctive features.
"The present plan for the station will include a new slate roof with cooper, we will have geothermal heating and cooling, we will be having more bathrooms and greater space inside for events to take place," said McDonnell. "Also it will be a welcoming spot for train passengers."
McDonnell say that no money for the renovations will come out of the Kirkwood City Treasury to take care of it and all of the $5.7 million that was raised was privately funded.
"We got a wonderful grant from the Robert J. Trulaske Foundation to take care of the wonderful stonework around this wall surface outside of the train station," said McDonnell. "They also provided funding for the painting and restoration of the windows and the doors."
"We have enough money to do everything that was envisioned by the beginning team back in 2014. We were fortunate to raise enough money to take care of all the needs that we thought the station needed to have."
Renovations of the train station will begin in November and the renovation project should take a full year. There will be a temporary station located east of Kirkwood Road in what is currently a public green space near the Kirkwood Farmer's Market.