GALESBURG, Ill. — The National Railroad Hall of Fame is one step closer to having an actual Hall.
The Galesburg, Ill., city council on Monday approved an agreement for a 99-year lease on approximately 25,000 square feet of land in Colton Park, near the city’s Amtrak station, for construction of the Hall of Fame, a project first announced in 2006, according to public radio station WIUM. The cost of the lease is $1 for the entire 99-year term.
The Hall announced last year that it had met a $7 million fundraising goal, and earlier this year hired the architectural firm Wight & Co. to design the building.
To date, the organization has inducted 48 members into the Hall of Fame, grouped in three eras: 1800-1865; 1866-1945; and 1946-present. More on the National Railroad Hall of Fame is available at its website.
Remember that the great American poet, prone to railroad enthusiasm, Carl Sandburg (1878 – 1967) was also born in Galesburg, Illinois!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
This will be another gem for Galesburg, Illinois that the residents can be proud of.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Awesome news! Sincere congrats to all who worked so hard and for so long to make this project a reality.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
What is going to be inside of this place??
I love that the rendering shows two kids running at full tilt AWAY from the museum. I can just imagine the the storyline: “Yeah! Grandma said she will take us to get ice cream across the street while grandpa spends another hour reading about old railroad guys!” Not that this suggestion is based in any way on actual experience from my own children… 😉
Greetings to kids who love trains, ice cream, and their grandparents!
Dr. Güntürk Üstün