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Meridian (Amtrak station)
Encyclopedia
Meridian, Mississippi
's Union Station is located at 1901 Front Street. The station is included in the Union Station Historic District within the larger Meridian Downtown Historic District, both of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Union Station, officially dedicated on December 11, 1997, includes several modes of passenger transportation including the Meridian Transit System, Amtrak
, Norfolk Southern
rail corridor, Greyhound
, Trailways and other providers of transit services. Meeting rooms on the mezzanine level are designed for community activities, the existing east wing houses Meridian's economic development agency and an old Railway Express Agency (REA)
building has been converted into the Meridian Railroad Museum. Further restoration and development of the Union Station REA building will be a major tourist attraction, inviting Multi-Modal Transport Center (MMTC) patrons to learn more about Meridian railroading history.
and the Alabama and Vicksburg lines forming a junction at the small community. Meridian would grow to become the largest city in Mississippi at the turn of the 20th century with five major rail lines and 44 trains coming in and out of Meridian daily.
The Meridian Terminal Company, composed of officers from the Mobile & Ohio, the Southern, the Alabama & Vicksburg, and the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad
lines, was formed to build a new passenger depot. The new depot and railway express agency were completed in August 1906 at a cost of $250,000 and constructed in Mission Revival Style architecture
. The original depot construction included a central tower, which was demolished in the late 1940s. Further demolition to Union Station occurred in 1966 when all but the eastern wing of the remaining passenger depot was removed.
In 1991, A Multi-Modal Transit Study Committee was established to investigate the potential of a MMTC facility. In June of the same year, the Mississippi Department of Transportation
approved the use of Federal Transit Administration
planning funds for a feasibility study to evaluate the demand and possible sites for a MMTC in Meridian.
The Study Committee, made up of community leaders and organizations, property owners, government officials and interested citizens, participated in the initial charrette
s conducted by the engineering firm preparing the feasibility study. It was the collective vision of the committee to develop a model which would not only serve the transportation needs of the East Mississippi/West Alabama area, but which could also serve as a national model for small city inter-modal operations.
Local financial aid was provided through Certificates of Participation (COPs), a state-authorized funding mechanism that allows the city to lease the facility from a non-profit corporation that, in turn, sells shares of the lease to financial institutions.
In 1993, Transportation Enhancement funds for the preservation of historic transportation structures under the Surface Transportation Program of ISTEA were approved by the Mississippi Department of Transportation
for this project at the request of the City of Meridian.
The project involved several constituents in an undertaking that had a total construction price tag of approximately $6.5 million, including $5.1 million in federal and state contributions, $1.3 million from the city and $431,000 in contributions from Amtrak
.
To begin the process, a design team of joint venture architects, consultant specialists and engineering
consultants commissioned by the city held a series of town meetings as a means of discussing conceptual design concerns with the Study Committee. Conceptual drawings
were developed to relate the character of the project and to outline the major components of the MMTC.
The MMTC occupies four city block
s. The Alabama Great Southern Railroad Company donated 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of the project site. From east to west, the facilities involved in the Union Station site plan are as follows:
East of the project site lies a farmers' market
, landscaped
park, and an area for festivals and other city events.
The station has already encouraged more than $8 million in private investment in the Depot District, including office space, retail shops
, a data processing
/computer training center , upper-story apartments on the west side of Front Street, two hotels - the Terminal Hotel and the Union Hotel, the newly renovated Rosenbaum condominium
s, two restaurants, and vital records storage
buildings. Future plans may include renovation of the historic Threefoot Building
, possibly into an upscale hotel.
The meeting rooms on the tower's mezzanine level
are in great demand for business meetings and social events like retirement
parties, class reunion
s, birthday parties, weddings, and receptions
. Residents, as well as people with ties to Meridian, are becoming a permanent part of the Union Station complex by purchasing brick pavers inscribed with the names of loved ones, friends or themselves. The pavers are installed in the brick pathway of a small, landscaped green space linking the tower and east wing to the railroad museum.
Of the 10 Mississippi stations served by Amtrak, Meridian was the third-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 40 passengers daily.
Meridian, Mississippi
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...
's Union Station is located at 1901 Front Street. The station is included in the Union Station Historic District within the larger Meridian Downtown Historic District, both of which are 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...
. Union Station, officially dedicated on December 11, 1997, includes several modes of passenger transportation including the Meridian Transit System, Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
rail corridor, Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
, Trailways and other providers of transit services. Meeting rooms on the mezzanine level are designed for community activities, the existing east wing houses Meridian's economic development agency and an old Railway Express Agency (REA)
Railway Express Agency
The Railway Express Agency was a the national monopoly set up by the Untied States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure much as UPS functions today using the road system...
building has been converted into the Meridian Railroad Museum. Further restoration and development of the Union Station REA building will be a major tourist attraction, inviting Multi-Modal Transport Center (MMTC) patrons to learn more about Meridian railroading history.
Original Depot
The railroading history of Meridian began in the 1850s with the Mobile & OhioMobile and Ohio Railroad
The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was a railroad in the Southern U.S. The M&O was chartered in January and February 1848 by the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It was planned to span the distance between the seaport of Mobile, Alabama and the Ohio River near Cairo, Illinois...
and the Alabama and Vicksburg lines forming a junction at the small community. Meridian would grow to become the largest city in Mississippi at the turn of the 20th century with five major rail lines and 44 trains coming in and out of Meridian daily.
New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad
The New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad was a Class I railroad in Louisiana and Mississippi in the United States. The railroad operated of track from its completion in 1883 until it was absorbed by the Alabama Great Southern Railroad subsidiary of the Southern Railway in 1969.- History :The...
lines, was formed to build a new passenger depot. The new depot and railway express agency were completed in August 1906 at a cost of $250,000 and constructed in Mission Revival Style architecture
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
. The original depot construction included a central tower, which was demolished in the late 1940s. Further demolition to Union Station occurred in 1966 when all but the eastern wing of the remaining passenger depot was removed.
Plans for New Depot
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...
approved the use of Federal Transit Administration
Federal Transit Administration
The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transit systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administrations within the DOT...
planning funds for a feasibility study to evaluate the demand and possible sites for a MMTC in Meridian.
The Study Committee, made up of community leaders and organizations, property owners, government officials and interested citizens, participated in the initial charrette
Charrette
A charrette , is often Anglicized to charette and sometimes called a design charrette. It consists of an intense period of design activity.-Charrettes in general:...
s conducted by the engineering firm preparing the feasibility study. It was the collective vision of the committee to develop a model which would not only serve the transportation needs of the East Mississippi/West Alabama area, but which could also serve as a national model for small city inter-modal operations.
Funding
The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) provides funding for transportation capital improvement projects which promote multi-modal facilities and for the preservation of historic transportation structures. The city was awarded $5.1 million in federal and state grants, including the first ISTEA grant ever awarded by the state for a historic reconstruction project. All of this money was funneled directly into construction costs.In 1993, Transportation Enhancement funds for the preservation of historic transportation structures under the Surface Transportation Program of ISTEA were approved by the Mississippi Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
The Department of Transportation is the most common name for a government agency in North America devoted to transportation. The largest is the United States Department of Transportation, which oversees interstate travel. All U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and many local agencies also have...
for this project at the request of the City of Meridian.
The project involved several constituents in an undertaking that had a total construction price tag of approximately $6.5 million, including $5.1 million in federal and state contributions, $1.3 million from the city and $431,000 in contributions from Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
.
Design and Development
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
consultants commissioned by the city held a series of town meetings as a means of discussing conceptual design concerns with the Study Committee. Conceptual drawings
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
were developed to relate the character of the project and to outline the major components of the MMTC.
The MMTC occupies four city block
City block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
s. The Alabama Great Southern Railroad Company donated 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) of the project site. From east to west, the facilities involved in the Union Station site plan are as follows:
- An area designed for future addition of rolling stockRolling stockRolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
- The Meridian Railroad Museum (REARailway Express AgencyThe Railway Express Agency was a the national monopoly set up by the Untied States federal government in 1917. Rail express services provided small package and parcel transportation using the extant railroad infrastructure much as UPS functions today using the road system...
building) - A landscaped area with memorial brick pavers
- The new terminal addition attached to the surviving portion of the depot.
East of the project site lies a farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
, landscaped
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
park, and an area for festivals and other city events.
The Station Today
In operation for less than two years, Union Station has had a profound impact on the community in numerous ways. The number of passengers on Amtrak trains, Greyhound buses, and Meridian Transit System buses averages 242,360 per year.Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, a data processing
Data processing
Computer data processing is any process that a computer program does to enter data and summarise, analyse or otherwise convert data into usable information. The process may be automated and run on a computer. It involves recording, analysing, sorting, summarising, calculating, disseminating and...
/computer training center , upper-story apartments on the west side of Front Street, two hotels - the Terminal Hotel and the Union Hotel, the newly renovated Rosenbaum condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s, two restaurants, and vital records storage
Records management
Records management, or RM, is the practice of maintaining the records of an organization from the time they are created up to their eventual disposal...
buildings. Future plans may include renovation of the historic Threefoot Building
Threefoot Building
The Threefoot Building is a historic building located in downtown Meridian, Mississippi. The building is the tallest building in the city, standing 16 stories tall. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 1979, under the Meridian Multiple Property...
, possibly into an upscale hotel.
The meeting rooms on the tower's mezzanine level
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
are in great demand for business meetings and social events like retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
parties, class reunion
Class reunion
A class reunion is a meeting of former classmates, typically organized at or near their former school by one of the class on or around an anniversary of their graduation. Former teachers may be invited as well...
s, birthday parties, weddings, and receptions
Wedding reception
A wedding reception is a party held after the completion of a marriage ceremony. It is held usually as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple receives society, in the form of family and friends, for the first time as a married couple. Hosts...
. Residents, as well as people with ties to Meridian, are becoming a permanent part of the Union Station complex by purchasing brick pavers inscribed with the names of loved ones, friends or themselves. The pavers are installed in the brick pathway of a small, landscaped green space linking the tower and east wing to the railroad museum.
Of the 10 Mississippi stations served by Amtrak, Meridian was the third-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 40 passengers daily.