Central Vermont Railroad Headquarters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Central Vermont Railroad Headquarters
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The present Amtrak station (left) and CVR office building (right)
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 Location in Vermont
Location in the United States
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| Location | Bounded roughly by Federal, Catherine, Allen, Lower Welden, Houghton, and Pine Sts., St. Albans |
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| Area | 51 acres (21 ha) |
| Built | 1863 |
| Built by | Central Vermont Railroad |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000211 |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1974 |
The Central Vermont Railroad Headquarters is a group of old railroad buildings in St. Albans, Vermont. The Central Vermont Railroad (CVR) built these structures between the 1860s and 1920s. It's the biggest collection of railroad buildings in Vermont! This important site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Today, some buildings are used for other things. But the old CVR office is now home to the New England Central Railroad. And the Amtrak train station uses another old CVR building.
What is the Central Vermont Railroad Headquarters?
The Central Vermont Railroad Headquarters is a large area of buildings and tracks. It's located just west of downtown St. Albans. You can find it around Lake Street. This area once held many important railroad buildings.
These buildings included places for fixing trains, a freight depot for goods, and a roundhouse for storing engines. The main office building was the heart of the Central Vermont Railroad. It was built in the 1870s. This building has a special look with its fancy Second Empire style. It also has two tall towers with unique mansard roofs.
Near the main office, there's an old switch house from around 1900. This building is now used as the Amtrak train station. Further north, you can see a big roundhouse. On the other side of Lake Street, there were many maintenance buildings. Most of these are now used by other businesses.
How did the Central Vermont Railroad begin?
The Central Vermont Railroad was created in 1860. It brought together several smaller train lines. Some of these lines had gone out of business. The new CVR connected Montreal in Canada to cities in southern New England. These cities included Boston, Massachusetts, New London, Connecticut, and later New York City.
St. Albans was chosen as the main headquarters for the railroad. This decision was made by J. Gregory Smith. He was from St. Albans and became the railroad's first president. The land where the railroad facilities are located was already used by an older train company. Many of the buildings for building and fixing trains were built in the 1860s. The main headquarters building was also built at this time.
By the early 1900s, the CVR was Vermont's largest train company. Over time, fewer people traveled by train. The old passenger station, which had four tracks, was taken down in the 1960s.
