GALESBURG, Ill. — The National Railroad Hall of Fame has selected the contractor to build its visitor center and expects to break ground on the project soon, with the goal of opening in 2027.
Hein Construction of Peoria, Ill., was the unanimous choice of the hall’s board of directors, the Hall of Fame said in a Facebook post, adding “we look forward to groundbreaking in the coming weeks.” Hein joins a project already involving Chicago-based architects Wight & Co. and exhibit designers BRC Imagination Arts of Burbank, Calif.
Julie King, executive director of the Hall of Fame, told WGIL Radio, “For the project as a whole, this milestone validates the faith shown by this community, our board, and our supporters both here and across the country.”
The Galesburg City Council last year approved a 99-year lease totaling $1 for the Hall of Fame to build on land in Colton Park, near the city’s Amtrak station [see “Galesburg, Ill., council approves …,” Trains.com, July 9, 2025]. The construction of a home for the Hall of Fame, first announced in 2006, reached a $7 million fundraising goal in 2024.
The Hall honors key railroading figures in three eras: 1800 to 1865; 1866 to 1945; and 1946 to the present. More information is available at its website.
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