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Dollars for marble, plaster and seismic steel

The US Department of Transportation announced today an $18 million grant award for the restoration of Seattle’s King Street Station. The grant will allow previously unfunded SDOT work to complete much needed seismic upgrades for the whole station including the clock tower, protecting the station from potential earthquakes. It will also fund restoration of historic interior and exterior architectural features including ornamental plaster and marble in the main waiting room, and help fund improved Amtrak ticketing and baggage facilities.

Below is a historic picture of how the main waiting room once looked. Interior plaster work will bring the station back to it’s former grandeur. The station was one of 54 rail projects that will share in $2.4 billion in high-speed intercity passenger rail service funding. The grant also supports economic recovery by nearly doubling local jobs created by the project from 60 to 116.