Pennsylvania Railroad Depot (Lambertville Station)

By the 1870s Lambertville was a major stop on the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad, which had trains going north to Belvidere, south to Trenton, and east to Flemington, with connections on to the rest of the nation at each of these terminals.

It was also the location of the railroad yards that repaired and built locomotives. It needed a new depot fitting its importance.

The Pennsylvania Railroad took over the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad in 1871 and ran its Belvidere-Delaware division. The Pennsylvania Railroad Depot, seen in this photo, opened in February 1874 and was called the finest depot around.

It was designed by Philadelphia architect Thomas Ustick Walter, whose credits also include the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

In the late 19th century, there were 10 trains a day in each direction but by the time service ended in 1960, only a one-car train ran between Philipsburg and Trenton.

Service to Flemington had ended in 1931. A freight service continued until 1975.

The station had been abandoned for two decades when Dan Whitaker and Skip, Tony, and Rose DiMarco bought it in 1980. Their courage and imagination saved this important part of Lambertville’s history.

Lambertville Station Restaurant opened in 1983. It has been successful from the beginning and was a visible part of Lambertville’s renaissance.