The depot, which was built in 1907 by the Southern Railway, was refurbished in the early 2000s as a result of widespread community support. Contractors reconstructed the foundation and reinforced the roof and walls of the building.
It is a brick and stone edifice built in 1907 by the Southern Railway Company in the heart of downtown High Point area, and it serves as a passenger terminal. A rusticated ashlar base and a tiled hip roof were used in the design, which was inspired by the Richardson Romanesque architectural style.
As has happened in many cities, trains and street crossings began to become a hindrance to increasing automotive traffic. In the late 1930s, a city-state-federal effort constructed a one-mile tunnel that was up to 35 feet deep and through which trains could travel to reach their destination. Moderne-detailed concrete was used in the construction of the station’s retaining walls. A pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks and a passenger staircase leading to the platform at track level were built.
Southern Railway leased the station to a restaurant in the mid-1970s and constructed a modest green metal building at the rear of the station for the use of passengers in the 1980s. The Southern Railway, now known as Norfolk Southern, negotiated an agreement with Amtrak in 1978, and Amtrak took over Southern’s passenger operations in 1979, resulting in the demise of the Southern Railway.
By 1990, the station and platform were in disarray, the platform was filthy, and the restaurant was in financial trouble. The city considered dismantling the station in its entirety, but decided against it. Some High Point residents, on the other hand, have made the restoration of the station their cause.
Three years later, the local government recognized the value of the project and collaborated with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to prepare a $3 million funding request for the restoration and enhancement of the station’s infrastructure. The inhabitants of High Point who were interested in the initiative eventually raised $300,000 to cover the required 10 percent local portion of the ISTEA monies, which totaled $300,000 in total.
The North Carolina Railroad (NCRR), which owns the tracks that connect Goldsboro and Charlotte via High Point, was in the midst of negotiations with the Norfolk Southern Railway (NSR) for a new lease. It was not until 1998 that the North Carolina Railroad Company, Norfolk Southern Railroad, the city of High Point, and Amtrak signed a license to renovate, allowing the restoration to begin.