From "the Daily Times" in Salisbury www.delmarvanow.com
SALISBURY -- It won't parallel the retail makeover at Washington's trendy Union Station, but the vintage passenger train depot by the same name off Route 13 near downtown gets a radical face lift in the fall for restoration as an "upscale casual" restaurant.
"It will be an upscale casual concept with great food and wine," said Wicomico County restaurateur Tom Knorr, who, along with brother John Knorr, plans to complete the restoration in time for a 2007 opening. "It will serve a little bit of everything."
The brothers recently hired an architect and a historical preservation consultant who are collaborating to restore the property built in 1914 at 611 E. Railroad Ave. as a passenger and freight station, Tom Knorr said.
The 4,182-square foot brick building is one story with an attic and a basement, and Knorr said the consultant is working with local and state historical experts "to bring it back to what it was when it was a passenger station."
"It has old hardwood floors and high ceilings and 1-foot crown molding," he said. "We're hoping to help revitalize that area."
The former depot sprawls 29,000 square feet along Railroad Avenue off southbound Route 13 at the eastern gateway to a longtime industrial region.
It also is within blocks of the downtown retail district called The Plaza where recent years of commercial and residential revitalization projects in the millions of dollars have worked to offset commercial urban flight to the east side corridor off Route 50 and North Salisbury Boulevard.
Salisbury Administrator John Pick hailed the news of the proposed depot project, saying, "We are very excited about the possibilities to have the old railroad station restored."
Another inner-city historic property slated for a makeover is the 60-year-old landmark Boulevard Theater on East Main Street downtown, which the new owners in June announced likely would become a commercial and residential complex.
Job opportunities and historic preservation are crucial, said Brynne Hayes, executive director at Urban Salisbury, which markets downtown business development in The Plaza region.
"It is the right move," she said. "Offering jobs and maintaining a historic structure, while creating an adaptive reuse for the structure, are good components that help continue revitalization."
The depot is listed among the nation's vintage passenger train stations and many, including Washington's Union Station, have been restored to their original splendor and touted as retail or office centers.
SALISBURY -- It won't parallel the retail makeover at Washington's trendy Union Station, but the vintage passenger train depot by the same name off Route 13 near downtown gets a radical face lift in the fall for restoration as an "upscale casual" restaurant.
"It will be an upscale casual concept with great food and wine," said Wicomico County restaurateur Tom Knorr, who, along with brother John Knorr, plans to complete the restoration in time for a 2007 opening. "It will serve a little bit of everything."
The brothers recently hired an architect and a historical preservation consultant who are collaborating to restore the property built in 1914 at 611 E. Railroad Ave. as a passenger and freight station, Tom Knorr said.
The 4,182-square foot brick building is one story with an attic and a basement, and Knorr said the consultant is working with local and state historical experts "to bring it back to what it was when it was a passenger station."
"It has old hardwood floors and high ceilings and 1-foot crown molding," he said. "We're hoping to help revitalize that area."
The former depot sprawls 29,000 square feet along Railroad Avenue off southbound Route 13 at the eastern gateway to a longtime industrial region.
It also is within blocks of the downtown retail district called The Plaza where recent years of commercial and residential revitalization projects in the millions of dollars have worked to offset commercial urban flight to the east side corridor off Route 50 and North Salisbury Boulevard.
Salisbury Administrator John Pick hailed the news of the proposed depot project, saying, "We are very excited about the possibilities to have the old railroad station restored."
Another inner-city historic property slated for a makeover is the 60-year-old landmark Boulevard Theater on East Main Street downtown, which the new owners in June announced likely would become a commercial and residential complex.
Job opportunities and historic preservation are crucial, said Brynne Hayes, executive director at Urban Salisbury, which markets downtown business development in The Plaza region.
"It is the right move," she said. "Offering jobs and maintaining a historic structure, while creating an adaptive reuse for the structure, are good components that help continue revitalization."
The depot is listed among the nation's vintage passenger train stations and many, including Washington's Union Station, have been restored to their original splendor and touted as retail or office centers.
