"The station is an icon of Kirkwood, a symbol of the economic vitality of Kirkwood and its citizens," Art McDonnell said on Sept. 15. He spoke on a patio that had just been finished, outside a building that wasn't. McDonnell is a former Kirkwood mayor and now president of the Historic Kirkwood Train Station Foundation. The Webster-Kirkwood Times reported that day that construction was still going on inside and outside the 1893 depot, and that at least another month of work remained before the interior could serve passengers.
So the outdoor parts of this project came back first. Downtown Kirkwood's fall calendar is already using them. Between now and the Saturday before Thanksgiving, nearly every major downtown event happens within a block or two of the station. That block of West Argonne has also picked up a new anchor business.
A restoration that rebuilt the outside on purpose
The project was never only a roof job. The City of Kirkwood's scope list includes the expected historic work and a set of items aimed at the ground around the building:
- A redesigned outdoor plaza "for enhanced/expanded use by passengers and public/private events"
- A reproduction of the original covered passenger platform on the station's east side
- A new storage building on the west end, designed to match the historic station
- A reconstructed parking lot
- Larger restrooms that meet ADA standards, a new slate roof and cupola, and a geothermal heating and cooling system
The platform roof now extends east from the main building, as it did in 1941. The city's stated goals for the restored station include hosting events, civic meetings and ceremonies every year. McDonnell described the foundation's vision the same way: a community hub for private and civic events once the work is finished.
The money explains why the project could reach this far. The Times reports that the city received more than $4.2 million in grants and that local donations added another $1 million, so grants and donations alone fully funded the restoration.
Where the inside stands as of early October
The last detailed public account of the interior is from the ribbon-cutting. Officials said the inside needed at least a month more work, and murals by Kirkwood native Bryan Haynes are among the finishing touches. No firm reopening date for the waiting room has been published since. The city's project page still lists the job as under construction. It sends passengers to the temporary station across Kirkwood Road at 110 E. Argonne Ave., which has served riders since June 10, 2025. The city's rental page says the station isn't available yet and that rental rates are still being set.
A second construction phase is coming. Amtrak plans a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the station's platforms and crossings starting in spring 2027, and city officials said the station itself could reopen before that work is done. Through all of it, about 46 volunteers keep the stop staffed whenever passenger trains arrive. Amtrak pays for staffing at only about a third of its stations nationwide.
The West Argonne block around the station
The plaza sits at one end of a short stretch that has gotten busier this year. The city's project page puts the station's rebuilt parking lot between the depot and 4 Hands + Peacemaker. Directly across from 4 Hands + Peacemaker, at the corner of West Argonne and North Clay, Fox's Finest Meats, Seafood & Marketplace opened at 159 W. Argonne on July 22. It's owned by Kirkwood father and son Kevin and Luke Beattie, who share the family middle name Fox, and has two chefs and two on-site butchers on staff. St. Louis Magazine described it as fresh fish, prime meat and a gourmet grocer under one roof. That puts a full-service market a short walk from the depot, the brewery and the Kirkwood Farmers' Market.
The Farmers' Market is the other half of this block's fall season. On Thursday, Oct. 15, from 5 to 8 p.m., the market stays open late for the Night Market on Argonne. Argonne will be closed in front of the market for food trucks, a 4 Hands beverage truck, dozens of vendors and live music by the Bedlam Brothers. The Witches Walk runs the same evening. Check-in is at the Farmers' Market, and participating downtown businesses offer specials along the route.
The fall calendar, mapped to where it happens
Fall Fest was held yesterday, Oct. 3, in the parking lot west of the renovated station, with four bands from 1 p.m. until 10 p.m. Here's what's left of the season and where each event takes place:
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Oct. 8 | Summer Concert Series finale with The Dog's Breakfast, 6:30 to 9 p.m., free, moved from Oct. 1 because of the forecast | Station Plaza |
| Through Oct. 18 | Stages St. Louis presents Come From Away | Ross Family Theatre at KPAC |
| Thu., Oct. 15 | Night Market on Argonne and Witches Walk, 5 to 8 p.m. | Farmers' Market and West Argonne |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Halloween Costume Skate, 3:15 p.m. | Kirkwood Ice Arena |
| Thu., Oct. 29 | Halloween Walk, trick-or-treating 5 to 7 p.m. | Downtown businesses |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Winter Opera St. Louis, The Most Happy Fella | KPAC |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Wine Walk, 1 to 5 p.m. | Check-in at KPAC, then more than 20 downtown businesses |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Holiday Walk and Santa's Arrival on the Train, plus the first Kirkwood Festival of Trees opens | Station and KPAC |
The Halloween Walk affects driving more than any other event on this list. From about 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, police will close Kirkwood Road from Monroe to Adams, along with East and West Argonne and Jefferson. Kirkwood City Hall at 139 S. Kirkwood Rd. will hand out candy from 4 to 5 p.m., before the walk starts. The Wine Walk costs $25 in advance or $30 at the door, and Second Wind plays Ken Connor Park from 3 to 5 p.m.
November 21 brings both ends of downtown together
The Saturday before Thanksgiving shows the station's new role most clearly. Downtown Kirkwood lists the Holiday Walk and Santa's Arrival on the Train for Nov. 21, 2026. The timetable on the event's own page is still headed as the 2025 schedule. Treat last year's train arrival and photo times as a rough guide until the 2026 version is posted.
The same morning, the first Kirkwood Festival of Trees opens in the lobby of the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. It features trees and wreaths decorated by area businesses and organizations. Raffle tickets are $5, and proceeds benefit the Kirkwood Arts Foundation and KirkCare. Viewing hours:
- Nov. 21 and Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Santa at KPAC from 1 to 2 p.m. on opening day
- Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- One hour before and during KPAC performances
The raffle drawing is Friday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m., and winners take their tree or wreath home that day. With the festival kickoff timed to the Holiday Walk, the day links Santa's train at the depot with the trees at KPAC. This will be the first holiday season for the restored station since the ribbon-cutting.
New openings farther from Argonne
The fall's other openings are spread out and mostly built for quick, everyday stops. Lona's Lil Eats opened its second location at 612 W. Woodbine Ave. in August, near the St. Louis Community College–Meramec campus. Chef-owner Lona Luo has three James Beard Award semifinalist recognitions, and the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, closed Sundays. On Sept. 16, The Greek Kitchen returned after three years as The Greek Kitchen Shop. It's a smaller takeout-and-catering counter inside the Schnucks food hall at 10233 Manchester Road.
The Kirkwood Ice Arena, home of the Oct. 25 costume skate, also finished a renovation this summer. The contractor reported on Aug. 31 that the rink's old R22 refrigeration had been replaced with an ammonia-based system. The work also included new dasher boards, player areas, upgrades to the rink floor, exterior improvements and new lighting, all finished in time for the coming season.
Our office is in Kirkwood, and at Ryan Patton we follow projects like the station restoration closely because of how they change the blocks around them. If you own a home near downtown and want to talk about how the West Argonne corridor and the station's reopening fit into your plans, whether that means renovating, holding or selling, contact us and we'll walk through it with you.
