Creston station

Creston station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Creston, Iowa. The station is served by the California Zephyr. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) constructed the station in 1899, and is listed is on the National Register of Historic Places as the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad-Creston Station. Amtrak moved back into the historic station in 2019, after previously serving Creston via a small 1969-built station just east of the current location. It is also used by the city of Creston as a city hall and community center, known as the Creston Municipal Complex.

Creston, IA
The historic station in 2012
LocationPine Ave. & Adams St.
Creston, Iowa
United States
Owned byCity of Creston
Platforms1 side platform, 1 island platform
Tracks2
Construction
Parkingfree
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeCRN
History
Opened1899
Rebuilt1969, 2019
Passengers
20163,843[1]  23%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Omaha
toward Emeryville
 California Zephyr Osceola
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Omaha
toward Los Angeles
 Desert Wind
Discontinued in 1997
 Osceola
toward Chicago
Preceding station Burlington Route Following station
Cromwell
toward Denver
 Main Line Afton
toward Chicago
Kent
toward St. Joseph
 St. Joseph – Creston Terminus
Spaulding
toward Cumberland
 Cumberland Branch
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad-Creston Station
Location200 W. Adams St.
Creston, Iowa
Coordinates41°03′25″N 94°21′45″W
Built1899
ArchitectBurnham and Root
NRHP reference No.73000739[2]
Added to NRHPAugust 15, 1973

History

The station was built by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1899 for $75,000.[3] The Chicago architectural firm of Burnham and Root, who designed many of the CB&Q's stations, designed this station as well.[4] Creston was a division headquarters, therefore all of the railroad's business in southwest Iowa operated from here. It also housed the office of the Master Carpenter, who oversaw all section and bridge work for the division, and the office of the trainmaster, who oversaw the switching and forming of trains in the Creston yards. In addition to the CB&Q mainline, two branch lines originated from here, and another railroad operated from the depot as well.[3] Creston also had various maintenance shops and contained a roundhouse; both have since been demolished or destroyed by a tornado.[5]:91

Passenger rail service in the United States heavily declined in the 1960s, and the large Creston station was deemed too expensive to maintain. In 1969, the CB&Q built a small brick and steel depot to the east of the original station. This was later used by Amtrak after its creation in 1971.[5]:110 The original station was sold to the city of Creston for $1.[5]:91 The future of the station was seen in limbo, and the mayor of Creston noted in 1970 that the area would be a good site for a parking lot.[6] Local residents launched a "Save the Depot Committee" and gathered 700 letters of support for saving the depot.[5]:111 The building was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[2] Renovations were completed in December 1978, and the building houses various community rooms on the first floor and city government on the second floor.[7][5]:111

Amtrak service was restored to the historic station on August 1, 2019.[8] Amtrak signed a 20-year lease with the city of Creston in 2017.[9][10] Work was performed by Amtrak to make the waiting room ADA-accessible. The nearby platforms of the 1969-station are still in use to board trains.[8]

References
  1. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, FY2016, State of Iowa" (PDF). Amtrak. November 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. Lana L. Hicks (July 26, 1973). "Creston Railroad Depot". National Park Service. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  4. "Depot History" (PDF). City of Creston, Iowa. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  5. Osmun, Dianne R. (2011). Creston. Arcadia Publishing Company. ISBN 0738583456. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  6. Smith, Mitch (September 29, 2018). "Grimy, Glorious, Gone. The Divergent Paths of 7 Train Stations". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  7. "Creston's Restored Depot". City of Creston, Iowa. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  8. Edwards, Luke (August 15, 2019). "Waiting room restored". Creston News. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  9. Felker, Alex (March 7, 2018). "Amtrak depot renovations planned for 2018". Creston News. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  10. Riley, Roger (March 8, 2018). "Rail Passengers Will Return to Historic Creston Depot". WHO-TV. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
The nearby 1969-built station in 2010, then still in operation
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