Atlantic Coast Line depot Opened in 1956, the
Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) depot reflects
mid-century modern design popular at the time of construction. It is characterized by clean lines and minimal ornamentation. Typical features of the mid-century modern aesthetic found in the Charleston depot include a flat roof, large groupings of windows with horizontal lights, and shallow cantilevered canopies at the first and second floors. Red brick and dyed-green concrete panels arranged in alternating horizontal bands emphasize the building's rectilinear lines. Public spaces feature exposed brick on the lower walls and floors of durable green terrazzo; both materials can stand the wear and tear of large crowds and are easy to maintain. Passenger service was located on the first floor. As the station was built during the height of
segregation, it was built with two separate waiting areas, each with their own sets of restrooms. In the days of segregation, whites used one waiting area and blacks used the other. The second floor housed the ACL freight office for the Charleston division; the office closed when became part of CSX Transportation's Florence division. In 1967, ACL merged with
Seaboard Air Line Railroad to become
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). In 1971, passenger operations was transferred to Amtrak, while the station remained owned by SCL (later CSX Transportation). In 1972, the city of North Charleston was incorporated. In the 1980s, fencing topped with
barbed wire surrounded the station after a rash of burglaries. In 2012, because of the close proximity to the
CSX Bennett Yard, the company rejected a platform permit without sidetrack. Additional costs related to constructing a sidetrack, so the station would not impede freight rail traffic, made the site no longer cost feasible thus stopping the project. In 2014, CARTA began the process of relocating the project to Gaynor Avenue, adjacent to the existing Amtrak station. new NEPA and
NHPA assessments were started as well zoning, permits, redesign and disposal of the Montague Avenue site. Bus tests were conducted on July 29, 2014, to confirm vertical clearance under Sevenmile Viaduct. In 2015, project management and ownership was transferred from CARTA to the city of North Charleston. To keep costs within the $14.5 million budget, the new facility was downsized from to , eliminating the leasable space, restaurant/retail space and CARTA administration offices. On February 2, 2016, the FTA gave final approval citing no significant impact on the environment. Phase one of construction began on August 24, 2017, with the new building and reconstruction of one-half of the side platform. In 2019, phase two of construction includes the razing of the Atlantic Coast Line depot, reconstructing the remaining half of the side platform, roadway modifications, CARTA bus turnoffs and vehicle parking. ==References==