The Opening of Terminal Station, 1905

As Atlanta’s terminal station opened in May of 1905, the Sunday morning edition of the  Atlanta Constitution marked the occasion with a bold headline, “Opening of the Structure Marks an Epoch in the Development of Greater Atlanta — Story of the Big Building.”[1]

Terminal Station Open Today, A Thing of Beauty. May 14, 1905, Atlanta Constitution. Courtesy of Atlanta History Center. [1]

Standing in downtown Atlanta for nearly 7 decades, Terminal Station stood as a monumental accomplishment for the city at the time of its construction. The station drastically expanded the city’s capacity for passenger rail, marking Atlanta as a gateway for northern passengers. In addition, plumbers, electricians, and masons worked tirelessly to ensure that the station had timeless beauty and amenities far ahead of its time. Custom marble stonework, brought in from Marietta, adorned the interior of the station. The Carter & Gillespie Electrical Company of Atlanta installed incandescent lighting in both the passenger terminal and the train shed. Flush toilets and mechanical baggage elevators, features often missing from commercial buildings at the turn of the century, had to be custom-made and installed for Terminal Station. [1]

Thornton Marye served as the architect of Terminal Station, also the designer of the Fox Theater. Terminal Station and its train shed cost a staggering $1.6 million to build, but a grand rail station seemed fitting for a city that began its life as a railroad town. [2] Atlanta in 1905 stepped in the direction of resurgence from its destruction in 1864.  A grand station would give Northern passengers a modern welcome to the sunny South. “Louis Berckmans in Atlanta, 1930,” sheds light on the experience of one passenger in particular into Terminal Station.

Following the opening of the station to the public, it would go on to serve three railways: Atlanta & West Point Route, Central of Georgia, and Southern Railway.[3] The station gave way to a sprawling Hotel District. Be sure to read our vignette, “Murder at Terminal Station, 1949” for an account of the Hotel District in the midst of the Jazz Era.

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[1] Rogers, Alan. “Doors of Palatian Depot Swing Open Today.” The Atlanta Constitution 14 May 1905.

[2] “Atlanta, GA Station History.” Great American Stations. Amtrak, 2014. Web. <http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/ATL>.

[3] “Atlanta Terminal Station.” Georgia Rails. Web. <http://www.atlantarails.com/atlanta-terminal-station.html>.