Windsor Locks Residents Move To Preserve Historic Train Station

By KIM VELSEY
The Hartford Courant
February 5, 2012

WINDSOR LOCKS —

advertisement

Built in 1875, the train station has played a vital role in local and state history. A hub of activity in the once vibrant downtown, the station was where Ella T. Grasso caught the train to her inauguration, becoming the Connecticut's first female governor.
But things have not gone so well for the little brick building in recent years. Its façade is crumbling and restoration efforts came to a halt last winter when the Windsor Locks Preservation Association disbanded.
However, things may finally be moving forward again, with the creation of a restoration subcommission. The commission met for the first time last week and discussed ways to save the station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Together with town leaders, the group brainstormed ways to raise restoration funds and build support for the station's rebirth.
Perhaps the most complicated step will be negotiating the transfer of the building, currently owned by Amtrak, to the town. But Patrick McMahon, the town's economic development consultant, said that the town is having weekly conversations with Amtrak officials regarding a deal that would convey ownership and that he is optimistic about the situation.
Once transferred, work could begin almost immediately on the building, as the town already has a $225,000 state Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant for design and research work, according to McMahon (the grant was awarded to the Preservation Association several years ago). To cover the construction costs, the town is planning to apply for a $200,000 matching-funds grant through the Connecticut Preservation Office.
Overall, the committee will likely need to raise $500,000 to $600,000 through grants or donations to repair the station, he said.
The group is considering a number of fundraising methods, including selling items decorated with an image of the station, a tip-a-cop fundraiser, applying for grants and putting a fundraising goal sign on Main Street.
They also discussed events and tools to raise the station's visibility, like creating a website with photos and videos, promoting a ride the train to work day (although travelers would need board the train at the South Main Street platform) and doing a Main Street clean-up day.
It has not yet been decided what the restored station might house, but residents and the town have said they would like to see it remain a public space, such as a Windsor Locks visitors' center, an Ella Grasso museum or a educational center for the canal state park. Although officials are working to bring the train stop back downtown, the building is not considered to be suitable for a high-speed rail station.