Architects offer first look at planned Raleigh Union Station

Architectural rendering of the proposed design of downtown Raleigh's future train hub, presented on Wednesday, June 26, 2013.

CLEARSCAPES

RALEIGH City leaders and residents got their first look Wednesday at the proposed design of downtown Raleighs future train hub, as architects released their first renderings.

Amtrak passengers will enter through a civic plaza shaded by a large urban canopy, crossing under railroad tracks into the former Dillon Supply Viaduct warehouse. Theyll await their train in the cavernous main room of the Grand Central-style station, or grab a bite upstairs with a view of Raleighs skyline.

Those are a few of the plans that Clearscapes architect Steve Schuster unveiled Wednesday. The train station for the capital of North Carolina has to be authentic, has to be memorable and has to be unique, he said.

Design work for the station is moving ahead despite recent news that the project is no longer fully funded. The N.C. Department of Transportation shifted $15.1 million of the stations $60 million in previously announced funding to a Raleigh-to-Charlotte rail line. It now will have to find more money or settle for a scaled-back project, possibly opting for a temporary station and shelving Schusters blueprints for years. Raleigh Planning Director Mitchell Silver alluded to the shortfall at Wednesdays meeting.

We are here to assure you that this project is a high priority for both the city and the state Department of Transportation, he said. We are proceeding with the design while actively seeking out funding for the next phase of the project.

The construction phase will raze a vacant car dealership at West and Martin streets to create a hard-to-miss entryway. The civic plaza would serve as a gateway to downtown and host up to eight food trucks and pop-up retail spaces along with a performance and gathering spot. Those events would get shade from the urban canopy hanging over the plaza and the vehicle entrance to its south. The canopy shape is similar to a traditional railroad semaphore signal.

Its picking up on the railroad and industrial heritage of the place, Schuster said.

The design drew praise from Raleigh City Councilman Thomas Crowder, whos also an architect. I love the canopy, he said. Its a fabulous entry into the complex.

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Architects offer first look at planned Raleigh Union Station