CORINTH -- Restoring the village's nearly 100-year-old train depot will take more than $1 million and a commitment to maintain architectural heritage on the part of the community, architects said at a public meeting Monday. The small, quaint depot about a mile northwest of downtown Corinth was abandoned decades ago and has slowly fallen apart. Last year, the Town Board used federal money to buy 16.8 miles of track from the Canadian Pacific Railroad, including the depot. Now, town and village officials are working on grant applications for money to restore the depot and open it to the public as a tourist destination. At the same time, the village has developed a plan for a park on Route 9N, across from the town beach along the Hudson River. It will be called Jessup's Landing, a park with a performance space and bathrooms. Village trustee Pauline Densmore said the park, which is close to Corinth's shopping district, would be an ideal location for buses used to shuttle visitors, who come in on the train. John Riegel, president of the Upper Hudson River Railroad, which runs a tourist train in Warren County from a restored depot in North Creek, said an infusion of money is needed right away to save the depot. "It can be done, but it needs $10,000 to $15,000 right away to protect it. Winter, the rainy season are upon us, and soon there will be nothing left to talk about," said Riegel. If restoration is successful in Corinth, Riegel's company will submit a bid to extend operations into Saratoga County. The Town Board won a $95,000 grant to pay two engineering firms and an architectural firm to write a design report on the depot. Members of the firms reported some of their findings at a meeting Monday. About 25 people attended. The roof is beyond repair and has allowed significant water damage inside the depot, but some of the walls in the 20-by-50-foot structure are in good shape. Architectural conservator Eric Gradoia said the style is a mixture of Arts and Crafts and other styles, typical of public buildings designed in the early 1900s. The Delaware & Hudson Railway built the depot in 1911 when the paper mill that would become International Paper Co. and other industry in Corinth depended on rail service. Creighton Manning Engineering plans to issue a report by the end of the year with a complete design study and advice as to where to go next. Leigh Hornbeck can be reached at 581-8438 or by e-mail at lhornbeck@timesunion.com.
