TAMPA, Fla. — City of Tampa officials have voted to spend $1.5 million to refurbish Tampa Union Station, a 1912 structure which remains in use for Amtrak service.
WTSP-TV reports the funds will go for updating restrooms, repairing windows and doors, and replacing the intricate façade. Once those repairs are complete, the city plans to seek proposals for a more significant upgrade that could see the addition of restaurants, office space, or an event venue.
According to Amtrak’s Great American Stations website, the building opened on May 15, 1912, to serve trains of the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and Tampa Northern. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, but deterioration of the structure led Amtrak to move its offices and waiting room into an adjacent prefabricated building in 1982. A $4 million restoration led Amtrak to return to the structure in 1998. The building served more than 50,000 Amtrak customers in fiscal 2021.
