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King Street Station Restoration Scores A Big Dose of Federal Dollars

 

Original ornate ceiling will be restored with this next phase work.

 

This past month, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration signed a $16.7 million agreement in federal high-speed-rail funds to continue the next phase of restoration work on Seattle’s grand old King Street Station.

The dollars will fund the strengthening of the King Street Station and the clock tower to better withstand earthquakes, in addition to restoration of the historical features of the station’s main hall, and upgrading electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems to modern standards.  In returning the main hall to its original grandeur, the original ornamental plaster ceiling and walls, and historic windows will be restored; these elements had been removed or covered up more than 50 years ago during what was then considered to be a “modernization” of the station.  This work, which will create 100 jobs over a two-year period, is expected to start early next year, 2012.

Since 2008, the Seattle Department of Transportation has made nearly $30 million worth of restoration and improvements on this historic gem.   The federal, state and local funding covered replacing the station’s roof with historical accurate terra-cotta tiles, repairing the four tower clocks to working order and creating a pedestrian-friendly Jackson Street Plaza. 

More information about the restoration project is available on the King Street Station web site .