Canadian National Railway Station

The Canadian National Railways (CNR) Station at Kingston reflects the key phases of Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) railway history, including the initial construction phase of the 1850s and the betterments phase of the late 1890s. It is the only surviving GTR headquarters station from the initial construction phase of the first mainline built in Canada. The station continued to serve as a GTR and CNR administrative centre until the late 20th century. The GTR brought economic benefits to Kingston, facilitating its development as a transportation and commercial centre.

The Kingston station reflects the changing design and construction traditions of the GTR during the latter half of the 19th century. The stone station building of 1855 was the first GTR station built in Ontario. One of nine surviving GTR stations from the initial phase of construction in Ontario, it is the only one to have been built to GTR architect Francis Thompson’s one-and-a-half-storey design for small stations. The building’s Italianate-style design was modified in the 1870s by a Second-Empire-style roof.

The station retains the physical relationships among its three component structures: the 1855 stone station, the 1895-8 brick station, and the wooden structure linking the two (originally a platform shelter built in 1939 but converted to an enclosed building in 1989). The station continues to dominate its rail yard. The linear massing of the three buildings follows the curved line of the tracks.

A fire in 1996 damaged the oldest of the 3 buildings.