Union Station (Columbia, South Carolina)

Union Station (originally Union Depot), also known as Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Southern Railway Station, is a historic train station located at Columbia, South Carolina. It was built in 1902, and is a brick and stone, eclectic Jacobethan Revival / Tudor Revival building. It features stepped gables and towering chimneys. It was designed by architect Frank Pierce Milburn for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Southern Railway.[2][3] In contrast to the custom of 'union station' denoting the single station for several railroads, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad had its own station one-half mile away.[4] The formerly Seaboard Silver Star still operates through another station in Columbia.

Union Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	401 S. Main St. Columbia, South Carolina
Coordinates	33°59′25″N 81°1′46″W
Area	4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built	1902
Architect	Milburn, Frank P.
Architectural style	Tudor Revival, Jacobethan Revival
NRHP reference No.	73001728[1]
Added to NRHP	June 19, 1973

Historic recognition

Postcard of Union Depot in Columbia, South Carolina circa 1907–1912.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[1]

Noteworthy trains served at the station

Until the 1950s and 1960s the station served several named trains. In contrast to the New York -- Florida trajectories of the Amtrak trains today passing through Columbia, the trains offered service in different directions as well.

• Southern Railway:[5]
  • Aiken-Augusta Special: Aiken, South Carolina and Augusta, Georgia -- New York City
  • Carolina Special, the South Carolina branch: Cincinnati -- Charleston, South Carolina
  • Skyland Special: Asheville -- Jacksonville, Florida

The last Southern Railway train serving the station was the Carolina Special in 1968.

• Atlantic Coast Line:[6]
  • Unnamed service east to Florence, South Carolina, with an additional train heading beyond Florence to Wilmington, North Carolina

The last ACL service served the city in 1954.[7]

Current disposition

The building has housed California Dreaming, a high-end bar and grill restaurant, since 1984 and is popular with students and faculty alike.

See also

• Columbia station (South Carolina)

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Florence Bacher Myers (May 1973). "Union Station" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
3. "Union Station, Richland County (401 S. Main St., Columbia)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
4. Official Guide of the railways, January 1950, Index of Railroad Stations, p. 302
5. Official Guide to the Railways, July 1952, Southern Railway section, Tables J, K1 and Q http://streamlinermemories.info/South/SOU52TT.pdf
6. Official Guide to the Railways, January 1950, Atlantic Coast Line Railroad section, Tables 30, 37
7. Great Union Stations, 'Columbia SC Classic Passenger Stations' https://www.chicagorailfan.com/stbaacsc.html

Preceding station	Atlantic Coast Line Railroad			Following station
Terminus		Columbia – Wilmington		Sumter toward Wilmington