A plaque in memory of the late Dan Schroeder was dedicated Saturday in recognition of his efforts to preserve the Tamaqua Train Station.

Schroeder was the restoration designer for the 1874 station, a community landmark near the borough’s Five Point Intersection.

“Dan went the extra mile,” said Dale Freudenberger, president of the Tamaqua Area Historical Society and longtime volunteer with the Tamaqua Save Our Station (SOS) group. “This is not just a restoration of a train station. This, in my honest opinions, is one of the finest restorations of a train station in Pennsylvania.”

Schroeder, who passed away in July 2023, was remembered by friends, family and those who worked with him during the dedication at the station.

“Dan was a very good asset to the station,” said longtime SOS volunteer Linda Heigele. “He was just amazing as a friend. Anything we would ask him to do, he would do.”

And there was a lot to do.

The station had been vacant for decades and was set on fire in 1980s. Soon after the arson, the borough had planned to demolish it - but community members wanted to see it saved.

It would take time, but it was restored by 2004 at a cost of $1.5 million, thanks to the efforts of the Tamaqua SOS, where Schroeder was a longtime president; Tamaqua Historical Society, Tamaqua Area Community Partnership (then called the 2004 Partnership), Tamaqua Borough, then state Rep. David Argall and citizens of the greater Tamaqua area.

Freudenberger called the restoration “a steep uphill battle.”

But Schroeder, he said, made things a little easier.

“We didn’t even seek an architect - Dan came to us,” he said. “He loved the history of Tamaqua. He knew the history of the railroad station.”

He also knew a lot about historical restoration and architecture, and paid great attention to historical details and accuracy.

“A lot of other architects couldn’t do that,” Freudenberger explained.

Visitors to the station won’t find replastered walls or new light fixtures, he said. They also won’t find inaccurate paint schemes. Schroeder, he said, made sure everything was historically correct.

“When I tell people this is the finest restoration of a train station, I really mean it,” Freudenberger said. “When you come in here, you’re seeing it just the way - 99% - of what it looked like when it opened in 1874.”

Micah Gursky, executive director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership and SOS volunteer, said the station is without a doubt the most recognizable restoration work planned by Schroeder.

But Schroeder also led restoration projects at Tamaqua’s American Hose Company and the Citizens Fire Company, Gursky said. He designed the South Ward Playground’s community center, the facade of La Dolce Casa and the Spruce Street stairway.

“A lot of people don’t realize all the time and effort Dan put into the Tamaqua community first as a contracted consultant and then as a borough employee,” Gursky said.

Despite his work on numerous projects, Schroeder’s wife, Cindy, said he was most proud of the station.

“This was Dan’s pride and joy. Out of all the projects, this was it,” said Cindy, of Barnesville. “I’m just so proud of what he did.”

State Sen. David G. Argall helped secure state grants for the station when he served as a state representative for the 124th district. He also recalled a poll undertaken by the Tamaqua Jaycees in the 1980s, when the majority of residents wanted to see the station spared, even if it meant a tax increase.

He spoke about Schroeder’s work at the station, noting that “this couldn’t have been done without Dan.”

Brian Connely, president of the Tamaqua Borough Council, said Schroeder was willing to take on all types of projects.

“Dan was great at what he did,” he said.

Schroeder also worked as Tamaqua’s community development officer and ran a Christmas tree farm with his family in Barnesville.

Freudenberger called him “more than an architect.”

“He was a very close, and very dear friend, one of the finest men you’d ever want to meet,” he said. “He had a tremendous personality, warmth and genuineness that really came across in all he did for us.”

And for Gursky, he said Schroeder’s work “made my hometown a better place.”