User:SaenzCPP/sandbox

Historic Sunset Station (Sunset Depot)

Not to be confused with San Antonio (Caltrain station).

The Southern Pacific Depot  at Paul Square was one of the main stopping points along the famous Sunset Limited Route to California. Today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and  is remembered as “the building of 1000 lights” because of the many electric lights installed during its construction.The same lights that gave Sunset Station it's "building of 1,000 lights" nickname contributed to a 1907 electrical fire that destroyed the roof and severely damaged the southwest corner of the building, which was repaired in the following year. The Depot, since then, has been carefully restored to its original splendor including the re-creation of the 16-foot-diameter rose window that fills the north end of the building. Restoration of the Sunset Station is a continual project as well as the revitalization of the  Historic St. Paul Square District, which was once the hub for the incoming and outgoing military personnel during World War II.

Today, Sunset Station is still the anchor in the heart of the St. Paul Square District. With its close proximity to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Alamodome, this premiere entertainment venue offers event planners a unique canvas with unlimited options to create memorable experiences for their guests. The latest additions to the historic district are the University of Houston's Conrad Hilton College School of Hospitality, Smoke - The Restaurant, and Tony G's Soul Food. Visitors are encouraged to culminate their visit to St. Paul Square with a self-guided walking tour of the unique variety of noteworthy buildings.

*** Ad sources*

Historic Sunset Station (Amtrak)
General information
Location	Sunset Station 1174 E Commerce St San Antonio, Texas Amtrak Depot 350 Hoefgen Street San Antonio, Texas United States
Owned by	VIA Metropolitan Transit
Platforms	1 side & 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Thruway Motorcoach
Construction
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak code: SAS
History
Opened	1998
Passengers
2017	57,048  7.72%
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Del Rio toward Los Angeles Sunset Limited Houston toward New Orleans Del Rio toward Los Angeles or San Antonio Texas Eagle San Marcos toward Chicago
Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	San Antonio, Texas
Coordinates	29°25′12″N 98°28′40″W
Built	1902
Architect	Daniel J. Patterson
Architectural style	Spanish Mission
NRHP reference No.	75001955
Added to NRHP	May 29, 1975

History

Postcard view of the 1902-built Sunset Station, the first San Antonio Station.

Amtrak previously utilized the historic Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) Station, that was also known as the Sunset Station. It was designed by SP's architect Daniel J. Patterson in the Spanish Mission Revival style, and built in 1902 by the SP. The train station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Amtrak moved operations in 1998 to a smaller depot that was built adjacent to the older Sunset Station. Under its owner, VIA Metropolitan Transit, the historic Sunset Station underwent an extensive restoration and now serves as an entertainment complex. The station also neighbors the Alamodome. There is even a preserved 2-8-2 Baldwin "Mikado" steam locomotive that had belonged to the Southern Pacific railroad, was donated to the City of San Antonio at the end of its service life in 1956, and placed on static display at nearby Maverick Park for many years before being relocated to the station. Another "Mikado", donated simultaneously to the City of Austin, is operated on excursion trains for live steam enthusiasts by the Austin Steam Train Association.

Preservation

The MKT's station was demolished in 1969. The Missouri Pacific abandoned their station in 1970 and it languished, abandoned, for almost eighteen years until the San Antonio City Employees Credit Union salvaged it and brought it back into public use. Meanwhile, the grand old Sunset Station soldiered on. When Southern Pacific also got out of the passenger business in 1970, the station passed into the hands of AMTRAK, and the building was kept in public use as San Antonio's only train station.

Over time, significant alterations were made to the building. The most noticeable from the outside was the removal of the magnificent Southern Pacific stained glass window. It was replaced by an AMTRAK symbol on a background the same color as the rest of the building. What happened to the original window remains a mystery. Maybe it is in storage, or it is on private display somewhere. This author believes it was simply destroyed, as so many wonderful artifacts were. It is the most expedient, cheapest and short sighted option, which would be in keeping with the spirit of the times back then.

The fate of the depot came into question for two main reasons. The facility was altogether too large for AMTRAK's relatively small needs. Furthermore, all buildings require maintenance, but an almost one hundred year old structure as ornate and complex as the Sunset depot posed a financial burden beyond AMTRAK's capacity to maintain. AMTRAK has always been a cash strapped organization and they are not really in the historic building preservation business.

*put into own words*

Amtrak

San Antonio is an Amtrak railroad station located on the eastern portion of Downtown San Antonio, in San Antonio, Texas.

San Antonio Station serves two Amtrak lines; the Sunset Limited and the Texas Eagle. The two lines are actually part of the same train from Los Angeles, California, but splits at this station with the Sunset Limited continuing onto New Orleans, Louisiana and the Texas Eagle to Chicago, Illinois.

San Antonio Station provides an Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach route serving Harlingen, Brownsville, and McAllen, Texas.

References

**fix references

External links

• Texaseagle.com: San Antonio Amtrak station for "Texas Eagle" line information

• San Antonio, TX – Amtrak
• San Antonio, TX – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Profile of San Antonio Station
• Official Sunset Station complex webpage
• Austin Steam Train Association
• Train Web, USA Rail Guide: San Antonio Amtrak Station & Sunset Depot
• San Antonio (SAS) (Amtrak's Great American Stations)

** add links

Article Evaluation - Community Gardening

Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?

• The article is concise in delivering the information about the topic. The purpose section for the article delved into the sub topics that were not explored further in the rest of the article. The "contents" section of the article seemed organized but within the body of the article the information was lacking.

Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?

• The article was biased towards the creating of community gardens. The article presented information as such to encourage community gardens. The article made a claim regarding community gardens and their ability to alleviate an effect of climate change, with no substantive source. The article did not provide what that effect was.

Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?

• The viewpoints were largely based in North America and in the United States. Sources provided were localized to the United States but examples were from other Nations and the section for the United States is blank. The difficulty with adding examples from other nations leaves them underrepresented. The main article should reflect the United States' community garden, as information and sources were largely relating to the United States.

Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?

• Some links do not work or are outdated. The source supports the claims made in the article. I would suggest a less biased view towards the benefits of community gardens and provide more information as to what they are, where they may be, and what they consist of.

Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?

• Some facts referenced within the Purpose section of the article reference ideas without support. In regards to the food desert effect. The article advocates for the creation of community gardens as a potential solution to the issue.

Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?

• The information is up to date. Information is being added and links are being corrected regularly. More information on United States examples could be added.

Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?

• The talk page discusses the merging of several articles within it. This could attribute to some of the issues in formatting and fluidity of the article. Behind the scenes a user wants to explore and expand the benefits of community gardens. That topic may be better suited for a journal or other publication unless proper citation is included.

How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?

• The article is rated as a start-class project in quality scale. The article is also rated as a low-importance project within the project scale. The article is withing the WikiProject Horticulture and Gardening project.

How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

• The article discusses the topic in terms of mainly sustainability. In class we have discussed other forms of infrastructure but not necessarily agricultural infrastructure. Agriculture is largely reliant on other forms of infrastructure to develop, distrubute, and ensure equity within its area.