Wilkinsburg working to restore old train station

WILKINSBURG, Pa. — The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation is beginning a campaign to renovate and restore its train station that has sat empty since the 1970s.

Restoration to the building will include fixing a ceiling that has fallen in, cleaning debris and graffiti, and will cost $3 million to renovate.

“When this building gets restored, they'll know things are really taking place here,” Tracey Evans of the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation said.

Channel 11 was told that there is plans to put in a restaurant that ties into transportation, since it is located on Penn Avenue and near the MLK Busway.

“There was a lower level that was just baggage, great for outdoor seating or maybe something related. We could have bikes, a bike shop, something that ties into the busway -- a lot of potential,” Evans said.

Yvonne James, whose family has run a flower shop for three generations, said she was excited for the change.

“I’m so excited about the train station. As a child I remember going when it was a haunted house. Beyond that I would hear all these great stories about the train station and see what a beautiful building it is,” James said.

One million dollars has already been donated by the Richard King Mellon Foundation but the community is still seeking more donations. Anyone who wishes to donate to the cause can click

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Cox Media Group