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OUR MISSION
Saving Columbia’s historic 1909 Katy Station through cooperation, preservation, and a realistic plan for its future.
Our goal is simple: save the original 1909 Katy Station in a realistic and achievable way while respecting the rights of the current property owners and the future of the property. This isn't about stopping development. We believe the best realistic path forward is to move the original station to a permanent new home where it can be restored, maintained, and preserved for generations to come.
THE PLAN
Preserve the original 1909 Katy Station by moving it to a permanent new location where it can be restored and given a sustainable future.
The station has been expanded over the years with later additions. Our focus is on saving the historic original structure—the part of the building that tells the story of Katy Station and its place in Columbia's history.
Moving the original station provides a realistic path that respects the current property owners, allows future development of the property to move forward, and gives the community an opportunity to preserve this important piece of Columbia's history.
Katy Station — Before the Later Additions
Katy Station — Before the Later Additions
Columbia’s Katy Station before the later additions altered the original 1909 structure.
Columbia’s Katy Station before the later additions altered the original 1909 structure.
Historic photograph courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Historic images are used for educational and preservation purposes. Attribution identifies the source or collection only and does not imply endorsement of Save The Katy Station or its preservation efforts.
Katy Station — Early Postcard View
Katy Station — Early Postcard View
An early view of Columbia’s Katy Station showing the original depot and its historic character.
1912 postcard view of Katy Station from East Broadway. Courtesy of the Raymond B. George, Jr. Collection.
Historic images are used for educational and preservation purposes. Attribution identifies the source or collection only and does not imply endorsement of Save The Katy Station or its preservation efforts.
WHY MOVE THE STATION?
Moving the original station gives us a realistic opportunity to preserve it while allowing the property around it to move forward.
The Katy Station property is privately owned and currently under contract. Our goal is not to stop development or interfere with private property rights.
Instead, we believe the most achievable path is to move the original 1909 station to a permanent new home. This allows us to focus our resources on preserving the historic station itself rather than attempting to acquire and maintain the entire property and its later additions.
Our hope is to relocate the station along the original Katy rail line, preserving not only the building itself but also its historic connection to the railroad corridor it was built to serve.
A permanent location along the original rail line would give us the opportunity to restore the station closer to its original appearance and give this important piece of Columbia's history a sustainable new chapter serving the community.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Saving Katy Station is only the beginning. Its next home must give it a purpose and a future.
By focusing on the original footprint of the 1909 station rather than the later additions, we can preserve the most historically important part of the building while making the project more realistic and manageable.
A smaller original structure should mean lower moving and restoration costs, lower operating expenses, and less ongoing maintenance. That matters because saving the station is only the first step. Whoever ultimately becomes its caretaker must be able to afford to maintain it year after year.
Removing the later additions would also give us an opportunity to restore the station closer to its original appearance and allow people to once again see the building much as Columbia would have known it in its early years.
We believe preserving the original station—not necessarily every addition made to it over the last century—gives Katy Station its best chance at another 100 years.
Its eventual use has not been decided. Possibilities could include a small museum, community or nonprofit space, café, trail-related use, retail space, or a combination of uses that keeps the building active, useful, and accessible to the community.
Whatever its next chapter becomes, the goal is the same: save the historic heart of Katy Station, give it a sustainable purpose, and make sure future generations have the opportunity to experience it.
HOW WE GET THERE
Saving Katy Station will take cooperation, resources, expertise, and a community willing to work together.
No single person, organization, business, or government entity can—or should—have to do this alone. Our goal is to build a broad coalition of individuals, businesses, nonprofits, preservation groups, community leaders, and others who share one common goal: save the original 1909 Katy Station.
That will mean bringing together people with different ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives. We don't have to agree on everything. We simply have to agree that Katy Station is worth saving and be willing to work respectfully toward a realistic solution.
The work ahead could include securing a permanent location, engineering and planning for the move, restoration, fundraising, historic preservation expertise, partnerships, and developing a sustainable long-term use for the station.
Funding could come from a combination of private donations, philanthropy, business and organizational partnerships, grants, community support, and other available resources. The goal is to build a broad base of support rather than relying on any single funding source.
This is bigger than any one of us. If we work together, we have a real opportunity to save Katy Station.
RECOGNIZING DECADES OF PRESERVATION
Katy Station is still standing today because people before us believed it was worth saving.
The current owner deserves recognition for its decades of stewardship of Katy Station. At a time when many historic railroad depots across the country were being demolished or lost, the station was preserved and given a new life.
Without those efforts, there might not be a Katy Station left for our community to fight for today.
As we look toward the station's next chapter, we want to build on that history of preservation. Our goal is to respect the rights of the current property owners while finding a solution that allows future development to move forward and the original 1909 station to survive.
Preservation is a relay, not a single act. One generation saved Katy Station before us. Now we have an opportunity to help carry it forward for the next.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
There is a lot of work ahead, but every successful preservation effort starts with a workable idea and people willing to make it happen.
We have begun identifying possible permanent locations for the original station and gathering the information, expertise, and community support needed to determine what it will take to move and preserve it.
The next steps will include continuing conversations with the people involved, evaluating potential locations, understanding the engineering and costs of moving the original structure, developing a restoration plan, identifying funding opportunities, and building the coalition necessary to make it happen.
Some of those answers will take time. We will share meaningful updates with the community as the plan develops, while respecting private conversations and negotiations that need to remain confidential.
The plan will continue to evolve. The mission will not: Save the original 1909 Katy Station.
SEE WHO'S STANDING WITH KATY STATION
Individuals, businesses, organizations, preservation advocates, and community leaders are adding their names in support of the effort to save the original 1909 Katy Station.
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