HAMILTON, Ohio — In Hamilton next week, local residents might be surprised to see a full building uprooted from its foundation to travel down the road; a historic 19th-century train station will be moved to city property on Maple Avenue to preserve it.
Like the trains near that building, progress is moving quickly on a project that has been more than three years in the making. Richard Engle, the director of engineering for the City of Hamilton, said he’s appreciative to see the city working to support saving the older structures.
“It’s always been part of the historical and industrial heritage the city has. It’s nice to see that continue on especially when we can save a building. Like the two buildings we’ll save,” said Engle. “The train depot has a lot of history. The mayor has spoken in the past about all the people who have used those to travel on train. Especially those who have gone off to war. I think it’s important to save those kind of buildings.”
Tuesday afternoon, crews were hard at work shoring up the structure of the two-story portion of the depot structure. Engle said those crews have put in steel beams into the walls. Steel cribbing will be used underneath the beams, and the building will be jacked up.
That’s when Engle said the fun begins.
“Put power dollies underneath of it,” he said. “Those will operate in conjunction with each other in-sync. They’ll drive down the street at a walking pace.”
For Engle, the move draws many emotions.
“Excited to get it moved. Excited to get it developed into something different. But also nervous because I don’t want to see any failure,” he said.
Saving the two portions of the train depot comes at a cost. Engle estimated the cost of moving it is around $400,000, with another $700,000 going toward constructing the foundations.
He said city council allocated $2 million toward the move, and rehabilitation of the train depot.
Several years ago, CSX offered the city of Hamilton an ultimatum: pay for the buildings to be removed, or they’d be demolished. City leaders spent several months in negotiations, and voted to approve spending on saving the structures.
Engle said the move of the two-story building could take place as soon as Tuesday, December 20. The other one-story portion of the structure will be moved tentatively at the beginning of 2023.
“I’ve had a lot of contact with people in the city that have wanted to see it moved, and are anxious to see it happen,” he said.
