Record-Journal from Meriden, Connecticut • 11

MERIDEN RECORD NEW RAILROAD STATION NEW ATT ROAD STATION SECOND SECTION MERIDEN CONNECTICUT MONDAY MORNING SEPTEMBER 21 1942 11 NEW RAILROAD STATION FORMALLY OPENED HERE TODAY Attractive Brick Structure Meets Needs Of Passenger Traffic Long Awaited Building Replaces Outgrown Station Modern Structure Affords Attractive Facilities For Municipal Comfort Station Included In Building-George Collins Co Completed Job Without Halting Busy Railroad Operations During Difficult Work State Street Now Takes On Greater Shopping Value Parking Plaza For Railroad Relieves Traffic Congestion EXPRESS MOVE ALREADY HELPS Business Has Grown On Street For Some Time Completion of the new railroad atation bring an improvement of tha downtown business aectlon In addition to making for better railroad facllitlea and a more attractive appearance of the whole area Stata street now come into ita own aa a retail ahopplng area The new parking plaza which la being provided between the new passenger etatlon and the Railway Express agency building ae well as the removal of the express truck to the north end of the etatlon platform both mean a considerable reduction in traffic congestion on State etreet near East Main street The narrower railroad station building result in a wider street so that taxicabs and buses no longer crowd the thoroughfare A traffic bottleneck Is thus alleviated and the stores along the east side of BtaU street are made more accessible to the public For some years State street has bn developing as a major retail ahopplng district and its entire length from East Main street to Factory is now an attractive row of stores covering nearly the whole' retail field Restaurants also naturally are located In the area near the railroad atation and the State street district includes several Greater uae of the railroad station itself and the location there of the public comfort station is expected to increase pedestrian as well as motor traffic on the street Another busy little thoroughfare will come into Ita own as a result of the completion of the new atation This la Railroad avenue the street which has a sidewalk on one side only and whose only vehicular traffic the railroad trains themselvoi new railroad paaaenger station and publlo comfort atation answering two needs long fait ln this city has been completed and officials of the New Haven railroad and of the city wiU matt today formally to open the new structure The station Is a modern one story building of common brick In a familiar style popular in recent railroad planning Considerably smaller than the old building it nevertheless offer greatly increased facilities Practically tfae entire attractive Interior la devoted to the watting room and every convenience for passengers is provided The new station to built to handle a great deal more traffic than could be accommodated in the old one but of course even the new atation already bids fair to Inadequate for the -war-time demands made upon tha railroad When peace comes however Meriden will have an entirely satisfactory station ample to care for future need for which it wa planned The building Is attractive ln exterior and even more pleasing within Finished in a neutral gray tone with a composition floor and walls treated so os to be easily cleaned the new station presents a bright contrast to the 80 year old building now half dismantled which it replaces The long platform with Its modem canopy la another welcome Improvement and when the remaining portion of the old building is removed a wide parking plaza for the railroad's customers will eliminate traffic congestion in busy State street to a considerable extent and further improve th appearance of the downtown area The public comfort station located at the southerly end of the building and architecturally a part (Continued on Twelfth Paget Ceremonies Are Scheduled Today By RR Officials LuncheonForMany Local Guests Given At Noon Today Principal officials of the New Haven railroad will ba in Meriden today to attend the luncheon and ceremonies ln connection with the opening this afternoon of the new passenger station just completed to replace the old structure which has served the city for 0 years since 1882 The celebration will begin with a luncheon In the Embassy room of the Winthrop hotel at which Hollis Immlck secretary of the Chamber of Commerca will preside Mr Immlck will use an old locomotive bell as a gavel In calling the gathering to order to bear aeveral speaker Howard 8 Palmer president of the New Haven Railroad Mayor Francis Danaher and Fred Sparrow president of the Meriden Chamber of Commerce will be the speakers at the luncheon and entertainment will be furnished by the New Haven Railroad Glee club of thirty-five male voices Participating in the affair besides the Chamber of Commerca ore the Manufacturers association Rotary club Klwania club Lions qlub Zonta club Exchange club and Sentinel club Following the luncheon at 3:15 the entire body will proceed to the (Continued on Thirteenth Page) I (Continued on Fifteenth Page) field where It connected directly with Boston and in 1847 the lines between Springfield and New Haven were incorporated into the Springfield Hartford and New Haven Railroad company with Judge Brook aa ita president The southern terminus of this railroad system was Belle dock New Haven where the train connected with New York and other place by steamboat Shortly before the advent of the railroad in Meriden Major Cowles NEW PASSENGER STATION AND PUBLIC COMFORT STATION STATE STREET New Haven Road Has Served City 104 Years -Jk ii mi- mm in -iiii i i It is nearly 104 year fined the n- tlons from Bell dock New Havtn drat railroad tram cam puffing prMnt into Meriden and at that time xhe rallroad WM mcorporatd by there was no station or depot nor even a platform on which the' pea- ln ln aengera could alight The flrat train plie of the opposition of the many arrived here on Decemher 3 1838 officers and stockholders in toll and oa the treat! across Harhor road and stage coach lines and brook had not been completed the proprietor of many tavern along train had to atop to discharge Ita thoee roads as well as farmers passengers between Cherry street who opposed the building of a rail-and the present bridge over the road across their farms because of brook It was not until the next the hindrance it would he to the year that the road was finished to proper ear of their live atock Hartford and the New Haven A There were however two men Hartford railroad began it opera- In Meriden who were In favor of Cowles and Judge James Brooks Both were instrumental in getting the legislature to pass the bill incorporating the railroad and Major Cowles was one of the Incorporators and he served aa a director of the company for the first few year of its existence He owned land aouth of Main atreet which the railroad crossed while Judge Brooks owned land north of Main atreet over which the railroad vu built By 1844 the railroad had baen continued from Hartford to Spring- the building of the railroad and they welcomed it in the part of the town where ft wai eventually located They had hutlnea interests ln the present down-town district which was then known os West Meriden os they saw that the railroad would bring business to that section and cause it to develop more rapidly than the part served by the stage coaches os they saw the advent of the railroad would toon supercede the less speedy mode of travel These men were Major Elisha A Manufacturing and the Railroad work on the same job now Greetings and Best Wishes to the New Haven Railroad and the Silver City upon the completion of the new Meriden Railroad Station MERIDEN'S NEW RAILROAD STATION is a valuable improvement and we of 14000 manufacturing families welcome it Its greatest value now however is not that it fills the ned for a more attractive station not that it makes the city more pleasant for the visiting traveler but that it will make the job of the railroad men a little easier For now for the duration passengers are secondary freight comes first The railroad is bringing materials to Meriden factories and carrying away finished products that will help win the war The New Haven railroad is mighty busy We ask you to be patient If you have to wait while a long freight ties up traffic Cheer! That load of freight is Victory on the Way! INTERNATIONAL SILVER CO CELEBRATE OUR NEW STATION BY BUYING ANOTHER WAR BOND INSTEAD OF TAKING A TRIP MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF MERIDEN 1.