The city is seeking a developer for a partnership to do the $3 million renovation of the old train station.
This is the H.H. Richardson train station in Holyoke, built in 1883 and closed for decades, the city hopes to redevelop as a passenger rail station with commercial features. HOLYOKE – If the train “keeps a rolling,” officials said Friday they want to make sure Holyoke is a destination and not just a bypass.
Mayor Elaine A. Pluta said the boarded-up H.H. Richardson train station at Bowers and Lyman streets would be the stop here for riders to catch and disembark from trains if the long-discussed plan to extend passenger rail from Connecticut to Vermont actually happens.
“We’re very excited about this project,” Pluta said.
Pluta provided remarks in a voice-mail message after an event at Holyoke Heritage State Park that was part of a University of Massachusetts lecture series on historic preservation.
The Holyoke Gas and Electric Department owns the building, which is vacant and has gone unused for years.
The building became an auto parts warehouse after passenger rail service ceased here in the mid-1960’s, said Kathleen G. Anderson, director of the city Office of Planning and Development.
A design consultant has found that renovating the building to include commercial uses and areas for train passengers would cost $3 million, she said.
The building was built in 1883 and designed by famous architect H.H. Richardson.
Among numerous works statewide and across the country, Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886) also designed the Juvenile Court on State Street, in Springfield, the old Union Station train depot, in Palmer, and the former Grace Baptist Church at 18 Salem St. in Springfield.
The city is seeking a developer to form a partnership and renovate the site. Anderson said her office has received solid inquiries from developers on the project but she declined to identify them because talks at this point are confidential.
The building fronts on Bowers Street with train tracks running behind it. At Rosary Towers apartments across the street, resident Jose Andino, 63, said he would welcome restoration of the train station.
“That’s a nice, beautiful idea,” Andino said.
The Republican reported April 19 Connecticut is seeking $227 million in additional federal transportation funding for the long planned high-speed passenger rail line linking New Haven with Springfield, with $20 million to be spent on Springfield’s Union Station. The plan is to improve rail service through Vermont.