Morganton Train Depot

The Morganton Depot was built in the 1880s and was remodeled in 1910 and 1952. In anticipation of the reestablishment of passenger rail service on the Western North Carolina Railroad, a renovation of the building and its site was initiated. Using documentary photographs and drawings and through a careful study of the building’s fabric, HagerSmith Design was able to reconstruct its 1910 appearance.  The 1952 renovation of the depot had removed the original roof overhangs, altered window and door locations, put a new concrete floor system under the building, removed the flying chimneys, and enclosed the original east porch. On the interior, beaded board siding was covered with sheetrock and cheap paneling. HagerSmith decided to restore the 1910 appearance of the exterior and to respect the surviving 1910 interior walls. A maple floor was put down over the 1950s concrete and the original east porch was reopened and reconstructed. The existing site was reconfigured to provide a bus drop-off, additional parking, handicapped accessibility, and increased lighting and landscape plantings. The site was also structured to allow future access to the track level.