This weekend marks the 90th Anniversary of the Sacramento Valley Station. The station has been undergoing full restoration. Once completed, the 68,000 square-foot building will include new Amtrak offices, leasable office and retail space, and food vendors.
The project will be completed in the fall of 2016, in time for the grand opening of Golden 1 Center.
Currently, visitors to the station can see a flurry of activity going on both inside and outside the station, including the relocation of the Amtrak functions to the west side of the station. Amtrak offices will be housed on two floors and occupy the former restaurant and kitchen area. This new construction within the historic space allows for a restoration of the historic finishes while making the most efficient use of space in order to accommodate more leasable area in the building.
As part of the renovation project, the City recently completed the restoration of a mural centrally located on the wall of the station, seen in the lead photo. The City received a $25,000 grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to clean and touch up the art piece that illustrates the launching of the transcontinental railroad in 1863.
The station’s complete makeover is possible thanks to a U.S. Department of Transportation $15 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grant program championed by U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui toward the $31 million construction cost.
The building and adjacent property was purchased by the City from Union Pacific Railroad in 2006. It’s the seventh busiest train station in the U.S. Constructed by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1926, the station has served as the region’s main railroad station and was as an operations center for the Railroad in the northern California area from the Sierras to Sparks, Nevada.
Upon its opening, the building was seen as “state of the art” and was celebrated as one of the great stations in the west. For more information on renovation news and the station’s history, please visit sacramentovalleystation.com.
