Effort starts rolling to save Kent train station

If community members continue to jump aboard the campaign, Kent’s old train station downtown someday might become a coffee shop, restaurant, visitor’s center or similar retail spot.

About a dozen people met Feb. 16 for an initial discussion about what can be done to preserve the train station, built in 1927. The station sits just east of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks, north of East Gowe Street and west of Railroad Avenue South.

“I’d like to see the station help draw traffic downtown,” said Jim Marshall, who attended the meeting and along with his wife owns Running Stitch Fabrics near the station. “I like the old building and am in favor of anything we can do to save and revitalize it.”

BNSF owns the old station and uses it for storage and office space.

“There are no plans right now to remove the depot,” said Gus Melonas, BNSF director of public affairs, in a phone interview. “It’ll be in use until it’s obsolete and then we are willing to discuss it.”

Melonas also added he would be glad to discuss with the Kent group any plans it has for the station.

Josh Hall, city economic development specialist, told the group that BNSF told him it plans to re-evaluate what to do with the building after hearing about interest in the station. They told Hall they didn’t know anyone had interest in preserving or using the old station.

The group figures it would need to move the station to save it in case BNSF expands the railroad tracks through town.

“We have to figure out where to move it and how to move it,” said Barbara Smith, executive director of the Kent Downtown Partnership, which helped organize the initial meeting.

Smith said an old train station in Eugene, Ore., now operates as a restaurant and bar while a former Hoquiam station serves as a state Department of Licensing office.

“The outside of the building could stay as is and the inside could be used for many things,” said Jack Becvar, city historian and a proponent to save the station. “It could be a meeting place for downtown Kent and maybe have a small coffee shop.”

Russell Holter, a project compliance reviewer with the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, attended the meeting on his personal time because of his interest in saving train stations. He helped start the Cascade Rail Foundation that preserved the South Cle Elum train depot and closely follows campaigns to save other old stations.

“The dynamic in Kent is a good possibility if you have a solid plan they’ll be receptive to making it happen,” said Holter about how to approach BNSF.

Holter said a movement to save the Steilacoom depot failed and the depot is boarded up.

“But the Steilacoom depot was in bad shape,” Holter said. “Kent does not have that problem because they are using it for office and storage.”

The group’s next steps include looking into finding an architect to examine the station to see what needs to be done to preserve it, seeing how much a company would charge to move the building, looking at properties (BNSF, public and private) that might be available to house the station and finding a grant writer to help acquire funds for the project.

Community members at the meeting also showed an interest in possibly hiring college architecture students to draw up a proposal about potential uses of the old train depot. It’s estimated that could cost about $5,000 to $10,000. Other costs to save the station remain to be determined.

All of those at the meeting supported the drive to keep the depot.

“But it’s going to take manpower to do it,” said Suzanne Cameron, design committee chair of the Kent Downtown Partnership, who helped run the meeting and hopes to get more people on board with the project.

Train station meeting

Anyone interested to help save Kent’s old train station can attend a meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, March 2 at the Kent Historical Museum, 855 E. Smith St.

For more information, contact Barbara Smith at 253-813-6976 or barbaras@kentdowntown.org.