THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9411300164
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
A downtown revitalization group is scrambling to save the 19th century railroad station on Main Street that was damaged by fire last week and that is now threatened with demolition.
The Downtown Suffolk Association has been working almost two years to buy the old CSX railroad station along the abandoned Seaboard Railroad track north of downtown. But the group's effort took on a renewed urgency the morning before Thanksgiving, when fire gutted the brick structure.
The Jacksonville, Fla.-based owners of the historic station say they have no plans to save it. And unless some other group can find the money and the gumption to restore it, the building probably will be bulldozed - and its 110-year history along with it.
``Our best guess now is that we won't try to salvage anything there,'' said Richard Bussard, director of corporate communications for CSX Transportation, which owns the station.
``It hasn't been used for at least 20 years, and we really don't have any use for it now. From our standpoint, it makes sense to just finish the demolition.''
The station, which was built as a passenger and freight terminal in 1885, had not been used since 1968 - four years before Amtrak took over the country's passenger rail system. The building had since become a shelter for vagrants, and city inspectors labeled it a fire hazard three weeks before the Nov. 23 blaze.
It took only minutes for firefighters to extinguish the early morning fire, but most of the building's interior was gutted. Investigators were still working this week to determine the fire's cause and had not ruled out arson.
The downtown association plans to hire a local contractor to inspect the building, determine whether it can be saved and estimate the cost of renovation. CSX officials have agreed to board it up while they debate whether to give the property away.
While the building's destruction is not imminent, the fire made plans to restore it more desperate, said Bob Chisom, executive director of the Downtown Suffolk Association. If plans, and financing, aren't in place to save the station soon, CSX or city inspectors may decide it is too dangerous and needs to be knocked down.
``We're pursuing every angle we can think of to keep that from happening,'' Chisom said.
The association plans to apply for renovation money from the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, but the deadline for applications is Jan. 31. Chisom said he's not sure that leaves enough time.
If the building can be saved, possible uses include a restaurant, museum or city visitor's center. But regardless, Chisom said the station's conspicuous location - on Main Street between Constance Road and the downtown business district - makes it a critical step in his group's efforts to brighten the city's image.
``We consider that area something of a gateway into downtown,'' Chisom said. ``It's an eyesore as it currently sits, but if it were renovated it would generate a much more pleasing look coming into downtown.
``And if it's successful, hopefully, it would be a success we could expand on.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
A fire has left the old CSX train station on Main Street gutted,
although the tower and brick work appear unchanged, except for
traces of black soot.
by CNB