Kirkland Station
Why it's listed
Kirkland Station is a two-story brick building with a full basement, built in the 1860-1879 period on the West Chester Railroad line in West Whiteland Township, Chester County. It was designed to hold a ticket office on the ground floor and to house the railroad agent's family, which made it unusual among rural stations. The Pennsylvania Railroad leased the line and improved it around 1880, straightening the track at Kirkland and moving the station closer to the new rails with a crew of railroad workers. A fire in 1894, caused by an overheated stove, damaged part of the building. Early in the twentieth century a small two-story wing was added at the rear, bringing the first floor to three rooms. The station is one of two surviving stations from the West Chester Railroad, a line reputed to be among the first completed in Pennsylvania. Its original construction reflects the expansion of the Pennsylvania Railroad at that time.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the station is a rural railroad station built as a dwelling rather than a typical railroad station, which makes it architecturally distinctive. It is also tied to the West Chester Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and it is one of two stations remaining from the West Chester line, which is reputed to be among the first completed lines in the state.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83004209, listed November 10, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1370 Kirkland Ave., West Whiteland |
|---|---|
| County | Chester County |
| Listed | November 10, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004209 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1860-1879 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Original use was transportation; present use is residence. |
| Acreage | 2.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.01064, -75.60189 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83004209.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6415744
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.