MESICK, COHEN, WILSON, BAKER, ARCHITECTS, LLP

Chatham Union Station was completed in 1887 for the Boston & Albany Railroad Company. The architectural firm of record is Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge of Boston, which was the successor firm of the renowned Architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Richardson had designed nine stations for the B&A Railroad and after his death in 1886, his successors designed twenty-three more, all being stylistically similar to the original Richardson designs. Chatham Union Station was no exception, it features a bell-cast hipped roof and masonry walls of light granite with brownstone trim. These elements are the trademarks of Richardson's unique "romanesque" style. Significant alterations were made to the building after it sustained a severe fire in 1906, most notably the loss of the articulated structural ceiling in the central waiting room which was reframed and covered with beaded board.

While passenger and freight rail continues to pass through the Village of Chatham, passenger railroad service to Chatham ceased in 1972. In recognition of its significance, the station was individually placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. However, the station was subsequently used only marginally as a storage facility for the railroad and had been allowed to fall into severe disrepair. In 1997, the building was purchased by the Village of Chatham, who immediately shored up the central portion of the main roof that was in danger of collapse. That same year The National Union Bank of Kinderhook acquired the station from the Village for adaptive use as a banking facility. Mesick • Cohen • Wilson • Baker • Architects performed an initial assessment of the

building conditions and studied the feasibility of using the building as a branch bank. After its acquisition, the firm performed design services, prepared contract documents, negotiated construction contracts, and performed construction administration services for the adaptive use and restoration of the station. In addition, the firm prepared the Historic Preservation Certification Application for the National Park Service to qualify the restoration of the station for preservation tax credits.

The restoration of Chatham Union Station included complete restoration and renovation of the exterior and interior. Exterior restoration included replacement of the central portion of the roof framing structure, replacement of the slate roof, restoration of windows and doors, cleaning and repointing of granite and brownstone masonry walls, and repair and replacement of wood trim and canopy elements. Interior work included reconfiguration of walls in secondary spaces to accommodate banking functions, stripping and refinishing of original quarter-sawn white oak wall paneling, restoration of the original articulated ceiling system lost in the 1906 fire, design of period decorative lighting fixtures, selection of decorative carpeting, and custom designed period furniture and millwork including desks, conference table and teller stations. All new mechanical and electrical systems were provided and designed to be visually integrated with the historic fabric of the interior.

Restoration of Union Station has transformed the Village of Chatham and has initiated tremendous excitement within the community. The project stands as a model for adaptive use of historic buildings.