Laurel (MARC station)
Encyclopedia
Laurel is a historic passenger rail station on the MARC Camden Line in Laurel, Maryland
, between Union Station
in Washington, D.C.
and Baltimore's Camden Station.
The Laurel Railroad Station was originally constructed in 1884, for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
. The architect was E. Francis Baldwin. The structure is constructed of brick, and is one and a half stories, modified rectangle in form with overhanging gabled and hipped roof sections with brackets and terra cotta
cresting, and an interior chimney. There is a louvered lunette
in one gable, stick work in another, and fish-scale shingling under truncated hipped section; shed shelter, segmental arched openings. It is Queen Anne
in style.
Laurel station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973, (although one source claims it was 1972) and was reopened into a MARC station when the Camden Line was established.
A fire gutted the interior of the station, and damaged its roof and brick walls, in January 1992.
Laurel station is in the process of having its platforms rebuilt as part of a stimulus funding program announced by Vice President Joe Biden
and Governor Martin O'Malley
at the station in February 2009.
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
, between Union Station
Union Station (Washington, D.C.)
Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Baltimore's Camden Station.
The Laurel Railroad Station was originally constructed in 1884, for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
. The architect was E. Francis Baldwin. The structure is constructed of brick, and is one and a half stories, modified rectangle in form with overhanging gabled and hipped roof sections with brackets and terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
cresting, and an interior chimney. There is a louvered lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
in one gable, stick work in another, and fish-scale shingling under truncated hipped section; shed shelter, segmental arched openings. It is Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
in style.
Laurel station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973, (although one source claims it was 1972) and was reopened into a MARC station when the Camden Line was established.
A fire gutted the interior of the station, and damaged its roof and brick walls, in January 1992.
Laurel station is in the process of having its platforms rebuilt as part of a stimulus funding program announced by Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
and Governor Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...
at the station in February 2009.
External links
- Laurel station official website
- Laurel Railroad Station, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:LAU-6, including photo in 1975, at Maryland Historical Trust website
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station, Laurel, 101 Lafayette Avenue, Laurel, Prince George's County, MD: 14 photos and 9 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey
- Main Street entrance from Google Maps Street View