Wilkinsburg Train Station Restoration Project, 2016-2021
History & Project Overview
Designed for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1915 by Philadelphia-based architect Walter H. Cookson, the original Wilkinsburg Train Station was completed and opened to the public in 1916. A multi-day celebration marked its opening in the community. The Beaux-Arts style building featured a central waiting room capped by a skylight that featured a series of glass diffuser laylights set into a decorative plaster beam and panel ceiling. The floor in the main space was made of terrazzo with a mosaic tile border. Polished stone pilasters and marble panels lined the walls of the waiting room and rear lobby, while wood flooring and wainscoting were found in the secondary office spaces. An ornate, decorative steel canopy marked the main entry to the building, providing weather protection for passengers as they were picked up or dropped off.
For decades, this landmark building served as a gateway into and out of Wilkinsburg for local residents and visitors. It was a source of pride for a community regarded as one of the wealthiest and most successful boroughs in the region. But in the mid-1970s, after Amtrak discontinued its passenger train service to Wilkinsburg due to declining ridership, the Train Station building was vacated with no plan for its reuse. Despite its decline over the next decade, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and later recognized on the Young Preservationist Association’s Tip-Top Ten List as the Pittsburgh area’s number one building worthy of preservation investment.
In support of Wilkinsburg Borough’s acknowledgement of the historic relevance and community importance of the building, and given the immediate need for stabilization and protection from further damage, the Wilkinsburg Train Station was eventually acquired by the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority. An environmental, architectural, and historical evaluation of the Train Station was commissioned and completed by EDGE studio in May 2010.
The building sat empty for nearly six more years until the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation (WCDC) received a $1 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to jumpstart what would become the Wilkinsburg Train Station Restoration Project in 2016.
During 2016 and 2017, the WCDC convened an expert project team and kickstarted a capital campaign to raise critical funds for the project. The initial campaign engaged hundreds of residents, business owners, and Wilkinsburg High School alumni in the restoration effort.
The WCDC successfully raised the $6.5 million needed to bring the Wilkinsburg Train Station back to life, not only restoring an important community and architectural asset but also restoring a sense of pride in the borough.
As construction crews got to work on the building, it became apparent just how remarkable the Wilkinsburg Train Station building was. From the ceiling to the walls to the floor, there was so much time and care put into constructing the original Train Station. Saving and restoring the building was a matter of preserving as much of its historic integrity as possible while upgrading its mechanics and replicating any special features that could not be preserved.
Learn more about the Wilkinsburg Train Station Restoration Project — check out our project booklet and a history of the building in Wilkinsburg.
We are currently seeking a restaurant tenant for the main level of the Train Station. If you’re interested in leasing the Main Level of the Train Station, check out our Leasing Package.
Part of the lower level has been leased to Bridgeway Capital for their Business Assistance Center. Learn more about their work.
