SEATTLE -
For the first time in over a decade Seattle's King Street Station clock tower has the correct time on all four faces.
Today mayor greg nickels threw the switch to set it in motion.
With a flip of the switch and the Jimi Hendrix song, "All Along The Watchtower" playing in the background, the the old clock's gears and machinery started up again.
Repairs to the historic 1906 timepiece mark the end of Phase One of the train depot's renovation.
Volunteers lovingly restored both the clock and tower.
"The upper area there, the beautiful purple glass is original and it was literally black and opaque before," Nickels said.
The renovations also included replacing the tower's roof shingles with tile.
Over the years the station has suffered through various remodeling projects and deterioration.
Last year the city bought it from Burlington Northern Santa Fe for ten dollars and set out to restore the grand old train terminal.
Phase Two of the project will make it earthquake resistant and improve the passenger area.
The project's funding comes, in part, from the "Bridging The Gap Levy" passed by Seattle voters. The Washington State Department of Transportation and the federal government are also helping fund the renovations.
King Street Station was a hub for the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway for years, until the decline of passenger rail traffic in the 1950's.
When it was built in 1906, it was the tallest structure in Seattle until the Smith Tower was built.
The station came about due to a need to not only move main line tracks away from the waterfront but also replace an aging station located there.
Today mayor greg nickels threw the switch to set it in motion.
With a flip of the switch and the Jimi Hendrix song, "All Along The Watchtower" playing in the background, the the old clock's gears and machinery started up again.
Repairs to the historic 1906 timepiece mark the end of Phase One of the train depot's renovation.
Volunteers lovingly restored both the clock and tower.
"The upper area there, the beautiful purple glass is original and it was literally black and opaque before," Nickels said.
The renovations also included replacing the tower's roof shingles with tile.
Over the years the station has suffered through various remodeling projects and deterioration.
Last year the city bought it from Burlington Northern Santa Fe for ten dollars and set out to restore the grand old train terminal.
Phase Two of the project will make it earthquake resistant and improve the passenger area.
The project's funding comes, in part, from the "Bridging The Gap Levy" passed by Seattle voters. The Washington State Department of Transportation and the federal government are also helping fund the renovations.
King Street Station was a hub for the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway for years, until the decline of passenger rail traffic in the 1950's.
When it was built in 1906, it was the tallest structure in Seattle until the Smith Tower was built.
The station came about due to a need to not only move main line tracks away from the waterfront but also replace an aging station located there.
