(train bell ringing) - You hear it before you see it.

In Kirkwood, the sound of a train has been part of daily life for more than 170 years.

Kirkwood didn't just happen to be near the railroad.

It grew up because of it.

In 1853, the Pacific Railroad expanded west from St.

Louis and stopped here, and slowly, this town formed around it.

The train station was built in 1893, and all these years later, it's still the heart of Kirkwood.

- The train station is very, a vital aspect to the city of Kirkwood, and it's actually in our city logo, so it is paramount to the city, and really what makes Kirkwood, Kirkwood.

This stop is the second busiest station in the state of Missouri.

60 trains day and night pass through here, including four Amtrak trains that board 80,000 passengers from this location each year.

It brings tourists to the city of Kirkwood, creates downtown as an amenity to all residents and other residents throughout the St.

Louis area.

So almost 135 years after the first stones were laid, the Kirkwood train station is getting a glow-up.

A more than 5 million dollar renovation inside and out.

So it all starts off with doing as much research as we can on the building.

Jake Banton is with Mackey Mitchell Architects Design Team.

The Kirkwood train station is on the National Registry of Historic Places and they have the challenging job of preserving and restoring it while also transforming this 133 year old building to serve today's modern needs.

It really is an architectural gem in terms of the detailing of things.

But, you know, part of the challenge was making sure this building is performing the way we expect buildings to perform today.

But that's been tricky trying to integrate those modern systems into this historic architecture.

There's only been one renovation to this building in 1941.

So whether it's original or from the early '40s, everything in this building is old.

There's new plumbing, a new roof, two bathrooms are becoming six, and a geothermal HVAC system is making this historic site the poster child for premier modern, sustainable, and high-efficiency technology.

- We have 12 wells drilled into the parking lot, 300 feet in the ground, and that will provide the main heating and cooling for the space.

- I think probably the biggest change people will notice on the outside is this new canopy extension.

- Banton and his team are restoring and adding back original features that were removed during the renovation in 1941.

- The strategy that we took after having done all that research was we wanted to restore the exterior of the building back towards its 1893 version.

The original canopy structure was made out of wood, but proportionally, this matches what was originally built.

And of course, now we're using steel to make sure it lasts.

- How people used space in 1893 is very different from today.

And some things are best left in the past.

- Folks come into the station now, there's a big open waiting room.

There's a front desk to greet you when you come in.

But back when the station was first built, the interior looked much different.

There's actually two waiting rooms.

There was a men's waiting room and a women's waiting room.

- So like if a husband and wife came, they'd have to go wait in different waiting rooms?

- It was a different time.

You know, I think it's hard for us to sort of, you know, contemplate that today.

I don't know.

Maybe some folks would enjoy that.

If all goes well, everyone can catch a train together from the new old Kirkwood train station in late summer 2026.