The Canaan Union Depot, also known as the Union Depot, is located in Canaan Village, in the town of

North Canaan, Connecticut North Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,211 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The town center is still called "Canaan", being the main town center ...

, and is a former

union station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...

. It was built in 1872 at the

junction Junction may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Junction'' (2012 film), an American film * ''Junction'' (2024 film), an American film * ''Jjunction'', a 2002 Indian film * ''Junction'' (album), a 1976 album by Andrew Cyrille * Junction (E ...

of the

Housatonic Railroad The Housatonic Railroad ( ; ) is a Class III railroad operating in southwestern New England and eastern New York. It was chartered in 1983 to operate a short section of ex-New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in northwestern Connecticut, a ...

and the

Connecticut Western Railroad The Central New England Railway was a railroad from Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, west across northern Connecticut and across the Hudson River on the Poughkeepsie Bridge to Maybrook, New York. It was part of the Poughkee ...

which was acquired by the

Central New England Railway The Central New England Railway was a railroad from Hartford, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, west across northern Connecticut and across the Hudson River on the Poughkeepsie Bridge to Maybrook, New York. It was part of the Poughk ...

. .

Architecture

The station was located at the

level junction A level junction (or in the United Kingdom a flat crossing) is a railway junction that has a track configuration in which merging or crossing railroad lines provide track connections with each other that require trains to cross over in front o ...

between the two rail lines, making an almost right angle at 85 degrees right at the crossover. The angle of the building has a 3-story tower, at the top of which sat the

electric telegraph Electrical telegraphy is Point-to-point (telecommunications), point-to-point distance communicating via sending electric signals over wire, a system primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecom ...

operator. The two 90-foot (27-meter) wings of the building were occupied by the two railroad companies. The first floor of the station had a large restaurant that was especially important before the development of the

dining car A dining car (American English) or a restaurant car (British English), also a diner, is a passenger railroad car that serves meals in the manner of a full-service, sit-down restaurant. These cars provide the highest level of service of any rai ...

. Eventually, both the Central New England and the Housatonic Railroad became a part of the

New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated principally in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

. The New Haven was later merged into the

Penn Central Transportation The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

Decline

The station had been a junction and transfer point for passengers shifting from north-south NYNHH trains (

Berkshire Division The Housatonic Railroad ( ; ) is a Class III railroad operating in southwestern New England and eastern New York. It was chartered in 1983 to operate a short section of ex-New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in northwestern Connecticut, and ...

) to east-west CNE trains (mainline: Campbell Hall to Springfield and

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

). Passenger service on the CNE line through the station ended in 1927 when the NYNHH acquired the CNE. The station was no longer used for passenger service after 1971 when the

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

ended its unnamed successor to the ''

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

'' train, and regular freight service on the line ended in 1974. The station then became a

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

location, with a

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

in the southeastern wing. When the railroad was reopened as the new Housatonic Railroad in 1980, the station was not repurchased, though the new company did maintain offices there for many years. The station was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972, and was also included in the Canaan Village Historic District in 1990. More than half of the station — namely the southeast half — was destroyed by

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

late in the evening of October 12, 2001. The Connecticut Railroad Historical Association purchased what was left in 2003, and the organization began to restore it. Part of the building shell and the tower were restored, but work then stalled for more than a decade due to red tape required to get grant money, and negotiations with the Housatonic Rail Road over safety issues. The project got back on track in 2014. The town of North Canann solicited bids for "Rehabilitation of the Union Deport Railroad Station" in August 2015.

Rebirth

In December 2018, the Great Falls Brewing Company opened in the refurbished depot. In July 2021, the New England Accordion Connection & Museum Company moved to the refurbished station. Paul Ramunni, the owner and founder of the museum, originally created the collection in a house on his property in North Canaan in 2011. Between 1984 and 2002, Ramunni owned part of the station as housing for his CPA business, and he sold it after the 2001 fire. Ramunni offers tours, lessons, and even performs for his visitors. The collection of over 400 accordions is the largest privately owned collection of accordions in the world.

References

External links

*
History of the Canaan Union Station
Connecticut Railroad Historical Association
Railroad Station, Canaan, Connecticut (Nashua City Station)
{{Berkshire Rail Line Stations Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Union stations in the United States Railway stations in the United States opened in 1872 Gothic Revival architecture in Connecticut Former New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad stations Transportation buildings and structures in Litchfield County, Connecticut Railroad stations in Litchfield County, Connecticut North Canaan, Connecticut Former Central New England Railway stations Buildings and structures in the United States destroyed by arson National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut Arson in Connecticut 1872 establishments in Connecticut 1974 disestablishments in Connecticut Historic district contributing properties in Connecticut Former railway stations in Connecticut Railway stations in the United States closed in 1974

Architecture

Decline

Rebirth

See also

References

External links