Stonewall station

Stonewall is a light rail station for the LYNX Blue Line in Center City Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The station, which features side platforms that sit on either side of the tracks, is located on top of the parking structure for the Westin Charlotte, which it is also adjacent too.[1] Access directly to Stonewall Street is by nearby stairs and elevator. Notable places nearby the station include Bank of America Stadium, Duke Energy Center, Harvey B. Gantt Center, Mint Museum Uptown and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Stonewall
LYNX light rail station
Looking south across the I-277 bridge.
Location260 East Stonewall Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Coordinates35°13′17″N 80°50′49″W
Owned byCharlotte Area Transit System
Line(s)
  Lynx Blue Line
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Bicycle facilitiesBicycle racks
Disabled accessYes
History
OpenedAugust 30, 1996
RebuiltNovember 24, 2007
Previous namesWestin
Services
Preceding station   CATS   Following station
Lynx Blue Line
  Former services  
Charlotte Trolley
toward 9th Street

History

The station first opened for service on August 30, 1996, for the historic Charlotte Trolley, with one track and one wooden platform. In 2001, during construction of the Westin Charlotte, the original wooden platform was removed and the bridge over the John Belk Freeway was refurbished. In mid-2002, the station reopened with a temporary wooden platform at the end of the bridge over the John Belk Freeway. In 2003, the station was renamed the Westin Station after completion of the Westin Charlotte; a new platform for the station was built on top of the parking structure of the adjacent hotel.[2] On February 6, 2006, the station was closed again for reconstruction for the LYNX Blue Line; the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) decided going forward to call it Stonewall Station again. The station officially reopened for service on Saturday, November 24, 2007, and as part of its opening celebration fares were not collected.[3] Regular service with fare collection commenced on Monday, November 26, 2007.[3] Charlotte Trolley service resumed on April 20, 2008, but was scaled back to weekend and special events in 2009. In 2010, the Charlotte Trolley service to the station was discontinued.[4] In 2015, the side platforms were lengthened to allow three-car trains at the station.[5][6]

Bridge controversy

In 1991 when the South College site was chosen as the location for the new Charlotte Convention Center, the demolition of the original rail span built in the 1950s was imminent. Its demolition became necessary as it would not properly align with the proposed design of the new convention center. As a result, it was demolished in 1991 even though it was a known route for a future light rail or trolley line into Uptown.[7] The construction of the replacement span began in spring 1999 and was complete by summer 2001.[8]

Public art

As part of the CATS Art in Transit program, Stonewall features several pieces intended to provide a better overall aesthetic for the station. The works include bas-reliefs entitled Gingko by Alice Adams, drinking fountain basins designed to look like dogwoods, the North Carolina state flower, by Nancy Blum, leaf motifs on both the pavers and shelters by Leticia Huerta and track fencing featuring maple leaves by Shaun Cassidy.[9]

References
  1. "Stonewall Station". Charlotte Area Transit System. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  2. "Charlotte Trolley". June 26, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  3. Harrison, Steve; Valle, Kristen (November 25, 2007). "Light rail, heavy traffic: Thousands wait in lines for a free ride on 1st day". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A.
  4. "North Carolina Streetcar Systems". Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  5. "Community Update - LYNX Blue Line Capacity Expansion" (PDF). Charlotte Area Transit System. July 16, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  6. Harrison, Steve (March 17, 2017). "CATS hoped to ease crowds on light rail trains. Those plans will wait eight years". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  7. Whitacre, Diane (July 18, 1998). "Railroad's bridge replacement a result of many factors". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C.
  8. Whitacre, Diane (November 28, 1999). "Trolley bridge work to begin". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 4B.
  9. "Stonewall Station: Art in Transit". Charlotte Area Transit System. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
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