Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-09-01
THE UNION DEPOT.
A FINE BUILDING PROMISED.
work 10 be Commenced wIihsat Delay, and
Excellent Accommodations 10 be Provided
Passengers.

work TO be Commenced wiihsut DELAY, and
Excellent Aeeommodat attens 10 be Provided
PassepgcFs.
The dimensions Of this structure
have been finally fixed on very liberal
scale, sard the accommodations whic b
will be afforded are not equalled by
those of any other city Of equal size.
The building itself, the base of which
is to be Of granite and the remainder o {
stock brick, faces on Canal street, and
occupies no less than l40 feet Of that
front. Next to it comes awide train
shed Of the same general style IS that
with which our readers are familiar at
Washington, than which it will be a
few feet longer.
The entrance for passengers on foot
will be through broad archway on
Seventh street, leading to large and
nely-fnished waiting-room 3sx76 feet,
well lighted from above, and with a
gallery running around it ON the level
of the second story. This gallery
gives access to the upper rooms, which
will be the offices of the company.
The waiting-room is to be surrounded
by handsome retiring-rooms, ticket
offices, dining-rooms, smoking apart
ments, DC.
The walls Of these rooms will be
laid in glazed tile or enamelled brick,
and every pains will be taken to afford
ventilation and comfortable tempera-
ture.
The entrance to the waiting room for
those who come or 60 in vehicles will
be on the south side Of the building,
and from the premises Of the railroad
companies, so as to reduce the annoy
ance of noisy solicitation.
The work upon the train-shed itself
will shortly begin, and it is expected
that it will be finished this year. The
passenger building cannot be completed
before next summer.
1t is also intended to provide, togeth-
er with the above-described buildings,
an unusually large and substantial
freight building, which will occupy the
ground on the east side of Eighth street.
Altogether we shall be, when these
works are finished, exceptionally well
off as to our depot facilities, and the
cost, Independent Of the expenditure
for the ground, will be about as, 600.
For the present the depot will be
used only by the Fredericksburg and
Petersburg Railroad Companies. The
Allegheny Railroad Company is in the
hands Of receivers. but will probably
undergo reorganization before very
long, and will then probably make ar
for using the depot. The
Danville road is of gauge different
from the roads on this side Of the river.
but in the course of a few years
will. it is thought, change 30 the
standard gauge, and it will be entirely
practicable then, if not now, for them
to come to this depot. About the only
way for the Chesapeake and
Ohio road to reach the depot is by tun-
nelling French Garden Hill and
on Eighth street between
Main and Cary. 1t is not likely that
they will DO this for some years to
come, but sagacious railroad men con-
template a contingency when this tun-
mel will be necessity, and when the
Chesapeake and Ohio may have the
assistance Of other companies in build
2 it.
The work on the Union depot-so
people will call twill be done by
intract mostly. and will be pushed
rward as rapidly as possible. The
ie is the square formerly occupied by
the Public warehouse. and excavators
have been at work there for several
weeks reducing the ground to the level
Of the streets.
With fine Union depot, with cleo
iric lights on all the principal streets, a
handsome Academy OF Music finished,
and the City Hall underway. Richmond
will next year present quite metro
politan appearance.