Switchyard Station
Mark Bega & Alex Boyd
The Switchyard Station transforms the existing 16th Street Station on the Southern Pacific Railroad into a multi-purpose building designed to meet the needs of current and future inhabitants of the surrounding Prescott neighborhood. Paying homage to the rich history of both the station as the ultimate destination for many travelers on Intercontinental Railroad and the neighborhood as a center for the Civil Rights movement is central to our design. While accessible to all, the building is tailored to the needs of currently unhoused and food insecure inhabitants of the area many of which were part of yhe the recently cleared Wood Street Encampment.
The main hall in its current form serves as a rest stop and the Switchyard Station holds a series of single-user bathing facilities and spaces for a warm meal. In this way, the station aims to alleviate the most pressing needs of those in the neighborhood with few options otherwise.
On a new upper floor within the main hall, several office spaces will be available for uses such as counseling, study/ tutor rooms, or even rentable to local small business owners as office space. These users too can take advantage of the onsite food services and even engage with their neighbors here.