Demolition of one of the historic railroad cars at the Chattanooga Choo Choo
photo by Gary Harwell
Some railroad cars that have long been at the Chattanooga Choo Choo are being removed and shifted to other locations on the property or to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Officials said it is part of hotel renovations at the historic property.
Officials of Northpond Partners and Trestle Studio said they have partnered with Choo Choo Partners, LP, a group led by former Chattanooga Mayor Jon Kinsey, "to embark upon a comprehensive restoration of the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Gardens and Hotel."
Officials said, "Taking care to preserve its many heritage attributes, the team aims to restore the Choo Choo to its former glory and reestablish it as a premiere lifestyle destination at the heart of Chattanooga.
"As a start to this restoration, under the supervision of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM), eight historic train cars will be relocated adjacent to the hotel and nine will be relocated among the Gardens. In all cases efforts have been made to place cars in historic locations and in most cases on their original tracks.
"Six cars will be donated to TVRM and affiliated museums while just one train car will be demolished due to its condition.
"Upon completion, the Gardens will house nine train cars including the original steam engine and the hotel will include 14 fully restored train cars inclusive of the original trolley car.
"Following the completion of the train relocation, Trestle intends to undertake a comprehensive renovation of the hotel with the aim of creating a leading lifestyle hotel comprised of 127 rooms, including 25 Pullman train car rooms, an elevated food & beverage program with local Chattanooga restauranteurs (yet to be announced), a lobby café, a 150-capacity ballroom with dedicated courtyard, a new outdoor alpine pool with open-air lounge, lush landscaping and cozy fire pits.
"Full renovation of the hotel is already underway with an anticipated completion in mid-2023."
Trestle founder Jake Lamstein said, “We were drawn to the history of the Choo Choo and are humbled to have the opportunity to bring our heritage sensitive approach to adaptive reuse to the Gardens and Hotel. Given our track record of work with landmarked and nationally listed historic properties, we’re poised to create an environment that adds to the character of Downtown Chattanooga, honoring its past while bringing it to the present.”
He said immediate upgrades have already been made to the hotel, "enhancing guest experience and allowing it to remain open throughout renovation, preserving jobs for all the property’s existing employees."
Mr. Lamstein said at least $10 million will be spent on the hotel and train cars. Additional amounts will be spent in the Gardens but officials have not yet finalized those costs.
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