Charleston Station

Front: The Charleston Station was built in 1956 by the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL). ACL hoped the new station would attract customers, particularly tourists traveling on its Florida-bound trains. In 1967, ACL merged with Seaboard Air Line to become the Seaboard Coast Line, which later merged with CSX. In 1970, Congress passed an act to prevent the financial collapse of several U.S. railroads by creating Amtrak, a national railroad corporation. Reverse: Charleston Station was a two-story building designed in the International style and was emblematic of mid-century modern architecture. It was long and linear, with a low-sloped roof. The most distinctive feature was the green Mo-Sai pre-cast concrete panels used at the entrance and around the windows. When it opened in 1956, the station was segregated by race, with separate waiting rooms, bathrooms, and drinking fountains. The Charleston Station was razed in 2018.