At the turn of the 20th Century, Chattanooga found itself playing a critical role in connecting the north with the south. By 1906 Chattanooga felt the need for a consolidated terminal as its two existing stations were getting cramped. In 1909 at a cost of $1.5 million, the Chattanooga Terminal Station had been completed. Its Beaux-Arts-Style was designed by Donn Barber. At its peak it served over 50 trains a day and greeted presidents such as Wodrow Wilson, FDR, and Theodore Roosevelt. Throughout the years it served trains of the Cincinnati Southern, Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway, Southern Railway, and Alabama Great Southern. Soon traffic began to dwindle. One by one platforms were taken out of service and used for freight storage. In 1970 the terminal saw its last train leave - Southern's Birmingham Special (The Tennessean was cancelled shortly before the Birmingham Special and the Pelican was consolidated into the Birmingham Special in early 1970). By 1973, the station was nearly destroyed when a group of businessmen decided to capitalize off the popularity of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller. The station was turned into the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hilton and Enertainment Complex (now known as the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel) which it remains to this day. The passenger cars in the background serve as both businesses, restaurants, and additional hotel rooms. The interior of the station is beautifully restored and the public has free access to the building and its grounds; well worth a visit if your in town as it is like a trip back in time. For those wondering the billboard on top advertises it as the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel, given that the billboard wasn't an original part of the design I took this photo at an angle to minimize its impact on the overall appearance of the building.
