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Fort Worth's Santa Fe Depot
Since its construction in 1899, this
depot has been home to six railroads. It is, at least for now, still
in use as a train station. Santa Fe leases the building to Amtrak;
however, the future of the route it serves is in serious doubt.
Only through old fashioned pork barrel politics does the route remain in
operation at taxpayers' expense - at least temporarily. If and when the
Amtrak stops running, the station's future will be in serious doubt.
Visiting this station is not an
entirely pleasant experience. Much evidence of the building's former
grandeur remains. Unfortunately, it has experienced significant deterioration
over the years. The ornate ceiling in the main station room has rotted
to the point that there are large holes. The chandeliers have been
replaced by an unusual triangular arrangement of florescent lighting tubes.
It is clear that, for years, the owners have spent as little money as possible
on upkeep. The marble floors, however, remain. The wooden benches
are not dissimilar to the ones I once saw in a turn of the century photograph
of the station's interior.
The building is tucked away in a
remote part of southeast downtown. It is not unusual to see vagrants
wandering about. The building would make an excellent restaurant
or night club. The question is whether the renaissance that northern
end of downtown Fort Worth is experiencing will make it that far south.
If not, this depot's days may be . numberedWhile it certainly is
not as large and spectacular as Fort Worth's 1920's skyscraper Texas
& Pacific station, I think it would be a shame if the Santa Fe depot
were torn down.
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