Kirkwood (Amtrak station)

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Kirkwood
Station statistics
Address 110 West Argonne Drive
Kirkwood, MO 63122
Lines
Ann Rutledge
Kansas City/St. Louis Mules
Other information
Opened 1893
Code KWD
Traffic
Passengers (2006) 34,286 ▼ 20.5%

The Kirkwood Amtrak station is a train station in Kirkwood, Missouri, served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system. Located in downtown Kirkwood, it is one of two Amtrak stations in the St. Louis metropolitan area; the other is located near Union Station in downtown St. Louis. The station is run entirely by volunteers.

[edit] History

In 1852, land where the current station is located (Argonne Avenue and Kirkwood Road) was obtained from Owen Collins by the Pacific Railroad for a right of way. The track for the Pacific Railroad to Kirkwood was completed in 1853. The first train arrived May 11, 1853, for an auction sale of lots, making Kirkwood the first planned suburb west of the Mississippi. The town was named for the chief engineer for the railroad, James Pugh Kirkwood.

In 1863, a frame depot was built. Here members of the first school board met to draft the charter of the Kirkwood School District, which was granted in 1865. In 1893, Douglas Donovan was hired to construct the current stone station to replace the wooden station. The current station remains today as an outstanding example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.

Commuter trains ran to and from Kirkwood until 1961. A train turn-table was located near the present Farmer’s Market for the engines to be turned for the return trip to St. Louis and for the helper engines, which were used to help freight trains manage the “Kirkwood Hill,” prior to the arrival of diesel engines.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station
Ann Rutledge
toward Chicago
Kansas City/St. Louis Mules
Terminus
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