I’ve always thought the gray building at the corner of Dawson Street and West Martin Street is somehow compelling. It just seems a bit out of place.

It turns out the building has a hidden history: it was once a train station, Raleigh’s Union Station, in fact. I never would’ve guessed it as the tracks are now nowhere near it. The station once served the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, the second railroad in the state.

Check out this railroad fan’s page to see how the building looked in its train station heyday and how it looks today. I may stop by the state archives sometime and see if I can find more historic pictures of the building.