The historic L&N Depot is in the hands of the City of Hopkinsville following a deed transfer from the Christian County-Hopkinsville Development Corporation that was approved at last week’s council meeting. Now, the questions are what will the City do with the building, and how much will it cost?
The depot was built by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1892 between East 9th and 10th streets. It last served as a home for the Pennyroyal Arts Council before an electrical fire forced the organization to relocate.
Since then, the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has remained dormant and virtually unattended, leading to a state of disrepair.
Because of its historic value to the city, Margaret Macdonald, a retired English teacher and school librarian, is one of several people who remain active in a “Save our Hopkinsville L&N Depot!” Facebook group that began a petition to save the building that has nearly 1,200 signatures.
Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight said he got an up-close look at the building recently.
click to download audioIn January, City Administrative Officer Troy Body told the city council that Howard K. Bell Engineering examined the depot and provided an estimate on how much it would cost to stabilize the building with that number coming in much higher than expected.
click to download audioKnight said he will draw on the wisdom of Christian County’s greatest living historical scholar before rushing into any decision on what to do with the dept.
click to download audioThe L&N Depot is a single-story building with six rooms — three waiting rooms, a baggage room, a ticket office, and a ladies’ restroom. The nearby freight station was sold at auction earlier this year.
