Credit: Wissahickon Valley Historical Society.
It’s a deconstruction, not a demolition.
The Wissahickon Valley Historical Society recently provided an update on the historic Ambler Train Station Freight House.
The building was set to be demolished in 2023, but thanks to the fast work of the society’s members, and 1,200 signatures obtained in just a few days, the demolition was postponed.
A new date of Aug. 1, 2024, was put into motion as the day SEPTA aimed to destroy the Freight House. At the June meeting of the Ambler Borough Council, the request was withdrawn by the WVHS. It was no longer requesting the use of the parking area to house the historic building while they searched for its new home.
The solution may sound a bit strange, given the society is whole-heartedly attempting to preserve the Freight House. Taking it down, piece-by-piece, sounds almost counterintuitive. But, there is a plan.
“We have to disassemble it,” said Bernadette Dougherty, member of WVHS. “We will document every piece. Photograph it. And put it away until we can find a permanent location.”
The building will be delicately and carefully taken apart, once piece at a time by Heartland Restoration.
Dougherty said the challenge of where it will live long-term is still up for debate.
“That’s the hardest part, to find a lot where we can put it permanently,” said Dougherty.
Built in 1855 and part of the original Wissahickon Station in what is now Amber Borough, the Freight House is one of the last remaining remnants of the station.
Money Makes It Move
The WVHS raised funds to help with its relocation.
“We’ve gotten very creative to raise money,” said Dougherty. Engineering studies alone, geared at discovering options for the Freight House, have cost the society several thousand dollars, and most of those funds came thanks to a move by Tannery Run Brew Works, which made a beer named for its beneficiary.
“[Tannery Run] created beer called Freight House Red, for us,” said Dougherty. The beer is sold at Tannery Run Brew Works, located at 131 E. Butler Ave., in Ambler, as well as 31 Main and Harry’s Taproom.
“We can’t say enough about the support of the businesses in our area on this project,” said Dougherty. “We haven’t gone to anybody who said ‘no’ at all.”
