Breathing in New Life
Austin’s Historic Springdale Station
Words by Alex Villalba & Ashley Bowling Photos by Leah Muse, Christina Hastings, Sidney Wilder
Springdale Station, Austin’s iconic train station formerly known as Boone Station, rests on an open plot of land at 979 Springdale Road, where it remained all but forgotten by the city for decades. That is until 2015, when it was spotted and resurrected by Austin local and art evangelist Moya McIntyre.
Surrounded by beautiful trees, the station is a little piece of Austin history that Moya decided deserves a second chance at life. Instead of tearing down the city’s cherished and diverse history to make room for even more homogenization, Moya is proving that there’s still a place for these historic structures. With her love of history and keen eye for art, she’s participating in the renaissance of Austin’s gems.
Originally built by Arthur Upshaw Boone, a descendant of Daniel Boone and owner of Frostex Foods, the former Boone Station served as a local train museum for years. Boone aimed to make the station as authentic as possible and fashioned the building with a ticket counter and money drawer from a 1917 train station and brass lamps from a 1939 Indiana station. He even parked his personal steam locomotive on the then functional rail line outside.
The exterior of the station looks as if it were plucked straight out of the 1920s, dressed with freshly painted wood siding and perched alongside the property’s original train tracks. An old crossing sign stands proudly beside the decommissioned tracks, as if frozen in time.
Next to the station, connected by a new glass enclosure, sits the old Pine Street Station, having been moved from 5th and Waller and restored by Moya and her team as an addition to the newly imagined event space. The dreamy interior of the old Pine Street building boasts 15’ ceilings, exposed trusses made of rich pine, rustic wood floors and large windows that usher in an abundance of natural light. “We decided to take Boone Station, a building that sat vacant for 31 years, and open it to the public and also move Pine Street Station, a historic building that was slated to be demolished. We gave both structures a fresh look and a new life,” says Moya.
Moya’s love for art began in her 20s, when she channeled her creative energy into painting and teaching. Through the years, her artistic focus started with education and historic building rejuvenation and moved to grant writing, cultivating an artistic community, and curating art exhibitions at Dimension Gallery, which is located near the station. She and her husband, Colin McIntyre, founded and operate this contemporary sculpture gallery.
Her ability to see beauty in decaying buildings and find potential in disrepaired relics is what has turned Springdale Station into a romantic, rustic peek into a bygone era. In this new event space, guests can celebrate nuptials, birthdays, quinceaneras and more. “In my 17-year career as an artist and entrepreneur, I have found a new way to breathe new life into old historic structures. I feel like the story of the Springdale Station is a beautiful example of honoring the past, while also keeping up with the pace of Austin’s future,” she smiles. Thanks to Moya’s creativity and commitment to preservation, East Austin can now enjoy Springdale Station in all its former glory and fall in love with this magnificent time capsule once again.
Did you know?
Springdale Station is the site of EASTside Magazine’s Second Annual Inspirational Women’s Issue release party and networking event, which takes place October 4, 2018.
Contact
(512) 947-8772
979 Springdale Road
info@springdalestation.com
springdalestation.com
