National Register of Historic Places

New London Railroad Station

New London, New London County, Connecticut
Listed
June 27, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
71000913

About this property

New London Union Station is a railroad station on the Northeast Corridor located in downtown New London, Connecticut, United States. Union Station is a station stop for most Amtrak Northeast Regional trains and all CT Rail Shore Line East commuter rail trains, making it the primary railroad station in southeastern Connecticut. It serves as the centerpiece of the Regional Intermodal Transit Center, with connections to local and intercity buses as well as ferries to Long Island and Fishers Island, New York, and Block Island, Rhode Island. The station has one side platform and one island platform serving the two-track Northeast Corridor; the latter platform also serves a siding track that connects to the New England Central Railroad mainline. Rail service to New London began with the New London, Willimantic, and Palmer Railroad in 1848 and the New Haven and New London Railroad in 1852. The original stations were each replaced in the 1860s; after several consolidations, they were served by the Central Vermont Railway (CV) and New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (New Haven) by the 1870s. After one of the stations burned in 1885, a new three-story brick union station was erected in 1887. It was the last and largest railroad station designed by famed architect H. H. Richardson, and his best according to biographer Henry-Russell Hitchcock. Passenger service declined in the 20th century; all CV passenger service to New London ended in 1949. The New London Redevelopment Agency began planning in 1961 to demolish the station as part of urban renewal. Amtrak took over passenger service in May 1971; Union Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places the next month following a local effort. After several years of controversy over whether to demolish or preserve the structure, it was purchased by architect George M. Notter in 1975. Notter's firm renovated the station for combined use by Amtrak and commercial tenants; it was the first station to be restored for Amtrak's use, and one of the earliest cases of adaptive reuse of an industrial-age building in New England. Shore Line East commuter service joined Amtrak intercity service at the station in 1996. High-level platforms were added in 2001 to serve the new Acela Express service. A second renovation in 2002–03 restored the exterior and returned the waiting room to its original configuration. The planned National Coast Guard Museum, which will be located across the tracks from the station, will include a long-planned footbridge over the tracks.

Location

New London, New London County, Connecticut
41.35426, -72.09287

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Downtown New London Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
US Post Office-New London Main
Industrial
0.2 mi
New London Customhouse
Industrial
0.2 mi
Huntington Street Baptist Church
Industrial
0.3 mi
Downtown New London Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Groton Heights / Fort Griswold Sep 6 1781
1781Revolutionary War
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was New London Railroad Station listed on the National Register?

New London Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 27, 1971.

What type of historic resource is New London Railroad Station?

New London Railroad Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for New London Railroad Station?

The period of significance for New London Railroad Station is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near New London Railroad Station?

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