Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 04/28/1995
NRHP Listing Date 07/21/1995
NRHP Reference Number 95000895
The railroad station is among the most threatened of American architectural forms. Perhaps less than ten percent of our extant stations are used for their original function. Many that are not abandoned now serve new uses. Temporarily closed to passenger service in 1993, Danville’s Southern Railway Passenger Depot has found new life as a branch of the Science Museum of Virginia, with one waiting room refurbished for Amtrak passenger service. The elongated structure, decorated with fancy stepped gables, recalls the Renaissance architecture of the Low Countries. It was designed by Frank P. Milburn, and completed in 1899, serving a principal stop on the Southern’s Washington-to-Atlanta route. The depot burned in 1922 and was rebuilt within its original walls in modified form. A central tower was not reconstructed and the interior was simplified. The Danville Southern Railway Passenger Depot is now owned by the city of Danville, and contributes to the listed Danville Tobacco Warehouse and Residential District.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: January 18, 2022
