The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-08
ENDORSE PLAN Of
WEST END STATION
BROAD STREET MERCHANTS MAKE
PUBLIC STATEMENT BEAR
ING 500 SIGNATURES.
PL MS FOR DEPOT
RAILROADS PROPOSE TO BUILD
TERMINAL THAT WILL BE
CREDIT TO CITY AND TAKE
CARE OF TRAFFIC FOR YEARS.

| LANE oE AnAE ~ ofN
simultaneously with the announce
ment yesterday by the Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac and the
| Atlantic Coast Line of the adoption
of tentative plans for handsome pas
senger station in the West End~-on
the Hermitage site-which will be in
keeping with Greater Richmond. the
committee of Board street merchants
which has given it's unqualified en-
dorsement to this project. issued a
statement, bearing over five hundred
signatures giving in condensed form
| the reason for their position.
/ Some weeks ago the two railroads
| indicated their Willingness to give
Richmond a station in the West End
| in keeping with its progress, an
nouncing that the tentative plans
contemplated a depot and approaches
costing in the neighborhood of ST.
/ coo, 900, which the roads propose to
make one of the handsome stations in
4 the South. These tentative plans were
made public yesterday.
Plans for Station.
They embody umbrella train sheds
similar TO those in the big Washing
ton station, with platforms a thousand
! feet in length. accommodating the
/ longest passenger train that comes to
/ Richmond from any points. The main
waiting room will be 65Xl0o feet. with
two ladies' waiting rooms 33x30 feet.
There will he a smoking room 2ox3o
1 feet; dining room 3oX2f rect, ana
a lunch room 36X27 feet.
d, Ample accommodations for coiored
people will also be arranged. the gem
eral waiting room for the negroes be-
ing 50x55 feet.
| Adjacent to the general waiting
room will be a news stand. parcel
check room and a baggage check
room, connected with tube to the
main baggage room. This will be
source of great convenience to wo
men travellers, who can check their
baggage from the waiting room with
out the trouble of going to the main
. baggage room.
/ Immediately behind the waiting
room and in front of the tracks and
sheds. will be a coneourse ESQ feet
long, and 65 feet broad. In front of
each track will be a gate leading into
the concourse and over each gate
will be a clock dial indicating the
time the train leaves, whether north
or south bound, and some of the prin-
cipsl cities reached.
The baggage, mail and express room
will he so by 200 feet.
The station will be about fifty feet
three feet higher than the street level.
In front of the building will be grano-
lithic drive and walkways and tbs
lawns will be decorated with flowers
and shrubbery.
Credit to City
From an architectural standpoint 1t
is proposed to make the station not
only an ornament 10 that section of
the city, but a credit to Richmond in
every particular. and one of such pro-
portions that il will meet the de-
mands of traffic for many years to
come.
Endorsing the plan of the depot
on the Hermitage site, the Broad
street merchants argue that Rich
mond is growing westward and north
ward and that the proposed West
End station. which Richmond can Sc
cure now, is the logical solution of
the problem. Following is the state
ment- given out by the committee:
The following statement is made
by the Broad street merchants COM
mittee, which has more than 500 sig
natures to the petition endorsing the
West End site for the depot:
"Of $22452,726 building operations
in five years tia06 TO 1912, inclusive).
exclusive of South Richmond. Ss,-
129,96T. or IS per cent. was expended
west of Fifteenth street. OF this sum
s10,64l 5S6, or So per cent, was ca
pended west of First street.
The growth will continue west and
north.
Increased freight facilities down
town are Of paramount Importance
and could not be had If space used
for passenger purposes
Large delegations arriving and de-
parting would block traffic on narrow
Main street, but not on wide Broad
street.
Public service utilities should be
installed not for present alone. but
for future.
twenty-five Years in life OF city
and OF public service corporation a
mere span
! Center Of population twenty-five
years hence will probably be the
Boulevard.
/ Fifteenth and Main streets twenty
Ave years hence will be far from the
center Of population.
j As to Train Schedules.
THE schedules to and from Rich
/ mond ara such (and II Is true of
many large cities) that the travelling
public arrive and depart either before
| the business houses. bank. etc. are
| opened or after they are closed.
"In other words, tho large majority
| Of the travelling public go to or come
| nom residences or hotels rather than
to and from the places Of business.
Il IF a union station is at Fifteenth
and Main streets and sub-station
in the Shockoe valley, n majority of
the travelling public would encounter
two announcement locations
L The saving of fifteen or twenty,
minutes in time between Richmond and
/ the great cities is much to be de-
sired. to say nothing Of the time which
the travelling public would save BY
going to or FROM -starfun conveniently
located to their places of abode.
"Visitors should be landed In the
growing section OF city.
Il There are already six trains over
Il the Richmond Fredericksburg and
L Potomac railroad which runs In and
I out Of Main street station.
Il TT has been stated that, although
/ the Richmond. Fredericksburg and Po-
L tornac train service to and from Main
H street station has increased SO per cent
h in Ave years. tho use of that station
has decreased % per cent in ticket
h sales.
TT has also been stated that the
\ Richmond, Fredericksburg and Po-
Il tomac handles over 400 900 persons In
and out Of Richmond per annum and
4 so per cent Of these use Elba station.
Il ''The Atlantic Coast Line railroad
would hardly spend millions Of dollars
Il for t,,np ne n atdatrark itaA1f