Main Street Station, located at Main Street and 16th Street, was built on the site of the old St. Charles Hotel, was a union station built to serve the C&O and the SAL. It opened on November 27, 1901. The SAL, however, moved to Broad Street Station in 1959. The French Renaissance-style station was the transportation focal point of Richmond for 50 years. The clock tower of this spectacular building is familiar to travelers on I-95, which curves around it. Built in 1901, this building was once the grand entrance to the city for train passengers. The 400-foot-long metal shed that once sheltered people and trains at the back of the head house is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of only a handful left in the country. A developer bought the station in 1983 with plans to turn it into a mall. Disaster struck shortly thereafter when a fire destroyed the roof. It was restored and the mall opened in 1985. The mall was not successful, however, and closed in 1985. In 1990, the Virginia Department of Health opened offices in the station. The city of Richmond reached an agreement with the state to purchase Main Street Station and restore it to use as a commuter train station. It formally opened with train service in December 2003 and will become and important transportation hub for Richmond.
