Partners
Johnstown Train Station
Johnstown, PA 15901
The Johnstown Train Station (JST) was built in 1915-1916 by the Pennsylvania Railroad at a cost of $3 million. Architect Kenneth M. Murchison of New York designed the station incorporating Beaux Arts schemes with Neoclassical elements. The present building is Johnstown’s second railroad station and was built in order to provide a more up-to-date structure that addressed safety concerns and reflected the “industrial strength” of Johnstown while serving as a “tribute to the intellectual and social and spiritual values that find expression in [the] city’s life,” as described by Reverend Walter Everett Burnett during the station’s dedication on October 12, 1916.
The building contains a central Guastavino vaulted ceiling, sandstone columns, terrazzo flooring with marble accents, terra cotta rondels, ornamental windows with decorative metalwork, and many dramatic elements. The marble-based oak benches in the waiting room are original. The only significant alteration to the station was performed in June 1976 when the passenger platform was removed in order to accommodate Amtrak trains.
The station was owned and occupied by the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1977 and is currently under private ownership. The station is also the headquarters of Artist-Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA).
Slap Shot Movie Facts:
The first time the Hanson brothers are seen is at the Train Station and are busy “assaulting” a soda machine that has taken their quarter but given no soda. Coach Reg Dunlop (Paul Newman) has arrived to escort them to their hotel room and inform them of the game schedule.
