A high bid of $175,000 to purchase Hopkinsville’s L&N Train Depot came from a railroad services firm whose owner said he would initially open a travel agency in the historic property with long-term consideration for making the depot a passenger train stop again.
B. Allen Brown II, president and CEO of Railmark Holdings Inc., submitted his proposal in a letter with his sealed bid to the city of Hopkinsville, which owns the depot and recently declared it surplus property because of costly estimates for the structure’s preservation. City officials estimated more than a year ago that the East Ninth Street depot building required more than $2 million in structural work. The building, constructed in 1892, has been vacant for nearly six years.
Brown attended the bid opening Wednesday morning at the Hopkinsville Municipal Center. His was one of only two bids the city received. The other bid, for $2,000, was submitted by Hopkinsville residents Andrew Troche and John W. Thompson. Their bid paperwork did not include information about plans for the depot.
Gary Ruebush, the city’s budget officer, said the bids will be forwarded to Mayor James R. Knight Jr. for a decision on accepting a bid. Knight later told Hoptown Chronicle that he plans to announce a decision as soon as the next city council meeting on Nov. 5.
Brown resides in Madisonville and has a corporate office in Henderson. Railmark owns and is currently restoring the Henderson Union Station, constructed in 1902, while also completing “finishing touches” on the Railway Express Agency building, also in Henderson.
Henderson City Manager William L. “Buzzy” Newman Jr. wrote a brief endorsement letter to the Hopkinsville mayor that was included in the bid packet. Newman wrote, “Today, renovations are well under way and Mr. Brown’s vision is coming to fruition. Henderson is fortunate to have Railmark Inc. in our community with his dedication to the history of railroads in Kentucky.”
Railmark also owns three historic railroad structures in Yreka, California, along with the Yreka Western Railroad Co., a short line railroad in northwestern California.
Brown said his offer for the L&N Train Depot comes with Railmark’s commitment to establish the headquarters for Train Travel Inc. in the Hopkinsville site.
Train Travel, a subsidiary of Railmark, is “a rail-centric travel agency and rail attraction operator,” his letter states.
“Railmark’s vision is to create a space where clients, seeking the personalized attention of a full-service travel agency, can visit the historic 1892 depot to discuss their travel plans,” he wrote. “Railmark does not intend to alter the building’s current configuration, as it is perfectly suited for this business activity.”
Brown believes regional passenger train services are “inevitable” as the country’s population grows. If a regional passenger service is eventually established to run from Princeton, Indiana, to Nashville, Tennessee, he sees Hopkinsville as a potential stop on that route.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
