MCADAM, - A conservation project will help spruce up the chateau-style McAdam railway station, a national historic site and one of the rare surviving examples of a combined rail station and hotel, says Parks Canada.
The federal government is contributing up to $209,500 to the project, which will include repairs to the canopies, windows, doors and masonry. It's part of a long-term effort to restore the site.
"The total cost to restore the McAdam station is estimated at around $12 million," says Greg Davidson, project manager for the McAdam Historical Restoration Commission which manages the property.
"This is just one component of an ongoing restoration that the village (of McAdam) has been doing now for about 10 years."
The 2 1/2-storey stone building, which resembles a Scottish castle, serves as a visitor information centre and a museum displaying local crafts and exhibits of railway artifacts.
Guests were once accommodated in 18 upstairs bedrooms, said Davidson. The building ceased being a hotel in the 1950s and hasn't served as a passenger rail station since the mid-'90s, he said.
Located near the Maine border 80 kilometres west of Fredericton, the station was commissioned by Canadian Pacific Railway president Cornelius Van Horne and was built in 1900-01 as part of the main CPR line into Atlantic Canada.
Davidson said his organization will fundraise to match the federal contribution.
On the web:www.mcadamstation.ca.
