New Look for Frank Furness' 1907 Wilmington Train Station
By Margaret Foster | Online Only | May 22, 2008
Designed by Frank Furness a century ago, Amtrak's train station in Wilmington, Del., is set for a $30 million makeover.
Credit: Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects
Depending on your point of view, you'll either love or hate the interior of the c. 1907 train station in Wilmington, Del., when it's completed in 2011.
Amtrak, which owns the 47,600-square-foot terminal designed by Frank Furness, will hold a ceremony in July to mark the beginning of a $30 million effort to restore the building's exterior, stairways, and two second-floor waiting rooms. Amtrak also plans to "modernize" the traditional-looking concourse with stainless steel, glass, and terrazzo floors.
"If no historic fabric remains, it's up to the owner to do what they feel is correct. With that in mind, Amtrak has decided to take the concourse and renovate it with finishes that pick up on their marketing of Acela trains," says Bill Holloway, principal at Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects in Wilmington.
Although its concourse area looks old, the building's original details were lost in previous renovations, the most recent in 1984.
"It's not 100 percent authentic, but it has the character of an old train station," says Clarence E. Wright, program director of Main Street Wilmington. "I'm not very happy with the plans that are on the table."
Architect's rendering of the new interior of Furness' Wilmington Train Station
Credit: Bernardon Haber Holloway Architects
Amtrak chose to rework the Wilmington Train Station as part of its new "State of Good Repair/ADA program," and says Furness would appreciate the makeover, according to Joseph Rago, Amtrak's senior director of stations and facilities and engineering structures.
"Frank Furness was a proponent of using leading-edge technology in his designs," Rago says. "The proposed design portrays the very image of Amtrak's goal and vision of being the leading transportation provider of the 21st century. The new interior conveys the message of modern, safe, and efficient travel."
The current interior of Furness' Wilmington Train Station, remodeled in 1986
Credit: Eileen Booth
But recent visitor Eileen Booth, planner and project manager for the city of Lafayette, Ind., questions the "sterile" look of Amtrak's proposal.
"Now they have wood, glass, brick; it creates a sense of place. Why create a place that's going to be unmemorable?" she says. "There's a disconnect between [Amtrak's] discussion of their appreciation for the building and the architect and what they're doing to the inside of it."
City Councilwoman Hanifa Shabazz maintains that the city is excited about the project, which will reflect Wilmington's current redevelopment.
"It's showing not only the old Wilmington, but also the one moving into the future," Shabazz says. "To me [a train station] is like the foyer of your living room. You get a feel for what the city's all about. It's an essential gateway."
Furness (1839-1912) designed hundreds of structures, including more than 200 railroad buildings. The Wilmington Train Station, Furness' last major depot, marked a change in his otherwise cutting-edge style, says Jim Tevebaugh, an architect at Wilmington-based Tevebaugh Associates and president of the nonprofit Friends of Furness Railroad District.
"This is a very formal, very sedate Frank Furness. The thing is classic; the proportions are great; it's got enough Furness zing to it that it really is a gem."
The station will remain open throughout the scheduled three-year project.
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Comments
Submitted by WilmNYC-rider at: January 6, 2010
It seems there's a disconnect between Amtrak's and Frank Furness' approaches to design. Amtrak's desire to use the station to promote Acela will create a space that's as uninviting as any 'sterile' airport interior, not to mention self-serving. If Acela fails or evolves in the future, will the interior of the station be redesigned ('rebranded') again? The station's current interior (even if not original to the building) is at least charming and inviting to travelers. Isn't there a happy medium?
Submitted by B-Rad at: July 9, 2008
i think it's great that the staion is being renovated but i think it should be restored to original condition not a brand new interior. i don' think mr. furness would like what you' ve done with his station. so the new interior gets a no from me
Submitted by Bob at: June 5, 2008
Let's keep the Mission in focus...It's the National Trust for Historic Preservation...not Visual or Aesthetic Preservation...By making every building, facade, or interior a 'battleground', we sacrifice both intellectual and artistic credability for the fights that are essential to be won...
Submitted by owen at: May 31, 2008
Finaly something has been done to render the station acceptable to the eye. However as indicated in one of the photographs the surrounding and local inhabitants are a "distraction" to the station and the local area
Submitted by ccl at: May 23, 2008
I am zee architect and I vill control zee design. Design must be a produkt of its time! I will CONTROL and PRODUCE and bring ENLIGHTENMENT to zee masses who want to create zis silly thing called "place." I am zee arbiter of placelessness! You unwashed masses have no capacity for understanding the design of zee moment. You are idiots I say and I will not listen to you! My design will triumph and my artistic genius will reign supreme! Go back to your silly little "historic" places you antiquarian sentimentalists!