Kirkwood Train Station Renovations Begin
Date Posted: March 6, 2025
Posted In: Projects,
From Webster-Kirkwood Times: In between the rumble of passing locomotives Tuesday afternoon, officials and dignitaries broke ground on the multi-million dollar renovation of Kirkwood’s iconic train station.
The public gathering, attended by dozens of eager onlookers, allowed local leaders to symbolically turn dirt on a $5.7 million project to restore the 132-year-old station located at 110 W. Argonne Drive in Downtown Kirkwood.
Announced in parallel to this local effort is a $10 million federal reinvestment from Amtrak that will see the passenger rail platforms modernized.
“Kirkwood was born with the train station. It became the center of the vibrant Kirkwood business district and an icon to everyone in Kirkwood,” said Art McDonnell, former mayor of Kirkwood and current president of the Historic Kirkwood Train Station Foundation.
“I look forward to this train station being a continued symbol of growth and vitality in the community,” he added.
McDonnell helped found and lead the Historic Kirkwood Train Station Foundation starting in 2016, but the city and many of its citizens have been working to secure the future of the station for decades.
To date, the foundation has raised more than $1 million in donations large and small. These funds are supplemented with grants of $1.7 million from the Missouri Department of Transportation and another $2.5 million from the state of Missouri. The whole project was funded without the need of any local tax dollars thanks to the hard work of elected officials and enthusiastic residents.
“I’m grateful to all of those who made donations, from a small child who gave a few cents to those who gave us thousands of dollars,” McDonnell said.