Connecticut River Railroad Station

Holyoke (Connecticut River Railroad Station)
Former station in 2008
General information
Line(s)	Vermonter
History
Opened	Planning stages
Services
Preceding station   Amtrak   Following station Template:Amtrak stations toward Template:Amtrak stations Template:Amtrak lines Proposed Template:Amtrak stations toward Template:Amtrak stations

Connecticut River Railroad Station is a former railway station located between Lyman, Bowers, and Mosher Streets in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The station was part of the Connecticut River Railroad line and was built in 1883. The station is currently proposed to be located on the rerouted Amtrak Vermonter line, currently serving communities from Union Station in Washington, DC to St. Albans, Vermont.

History

Designed by the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson, this was one of the last in his series of Northeastern railroad stations. In 1965, the station was converted into a mechanical shop by Perry's Auto Parts, but was left vacant in recent years. Though much of the external structure remains intact, the building is littered with graffiti and falling into disrepair. In 2004, this structure (along with Richardson's house in Brookline, MA) was cited as one of the ten most endangered historic sites in Massachusetts.

The building was purchased from a private owner by the City of Holyoke's Gas & Electric department in May 2009, but plans to repair the building did not at the time include allowing its use as a rail depot. In early 2010, Dana Roscoe of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission announced that the station may soon return to passenger rail service in part due to a major federal grant to rebuild the adjoining tracks.