TEXARKANA -- Friends of Union Station is seeking to formulate and iron out plans to restore the vintage 1929 Union Station building to its former grandeur.
At a recent meeting at the Lindsey Railroad Museum on East Broad Street, Beverly Rowe, one of the group's members, presented information she collected while visiting with officials in Hope who worked on restoring that city's passenger train depot.
Rowe said she collected government grant information, as well some contact information for restoration expertise. However, she added that in order for any historical restoration to occur, the station would have to be publicly owned. Presently, it is privately owned by Texarkana resident Jeff Sandefur.
Sandefur wasn't immediately reached for comment.
Charles Blankenship, another one of the group members, suggested that before any plans for restoration can be discussed, a local public opinion poll should be conducted to see whether residents would be interested in such a historical restoration project.
Ina McDowell, executive director of Main Street Texarkana, a group that encourages and promotes downtown historical restoration combined with commercial business retention and growth, told the group that the Texas Historical Commission recently took interest in Texarkana's 1933 post office and federal court building, which straddles the state line.
She said that last year the commission launched what was designated as a Courthouse Square Initiative and expressed interest in converting the North State Line Loop around the courthouse into a tourist area -- complete with landscaping -- while maintaining the building's historical integrity.
McDowell said commission officials, who visited last year, labeled both Union Station and the federal courthouse as the "book-ends" of downtown.
The Courthouse Square Initiative information led the group to discuss searching for any historic railroad preservation organization to hook up with for more guidance.
State Desk on 07/01/2015