The Tamaqua Train Station’s roof will be replaced over the next few weeks - and just in time for the 150th anniversary of the 1874 station.

Masonry crews began restoring each of the station’s eight chimneys in recent days.

And once they finish, the new roof will go on, said Micah Gursky, executive director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, the nonprofit organization that owns the historic station.

“The water is infiltrating from the roof and impacting the wooden structure and masonry,” Gursky said. “The impact is noticeable to the eye on the canopy where wood rotting is occurring. There is impact that cannot be seen under the other roof areas.”

Gursky said that the roof was replaced in stages during the early 1990s, and during the final restoration, which was completed in 2004.

The new roof will likely last longer.

“Technology and products are more advanced now than when the current roof was installed, so the new roof system will have thermal and moisture protections that will give us much more life out of this roof,” Gursky said.

In addition, a new gutter and downspout system will be installed to help manage rainwater.

The project will cost around $600,000. Heim Construction, Orwigsburg, was the low bidder for the publicly-bid project.

Tamaqua architect and volunteer Mark Conville helped prepare the bid specifications and is overseeing the construction for Tamaqua Save Our Station (SOS).

“The project would not be possible without the help of the CRIZ (Community Revitalization and Improvement Zone) Authority and its board members who understand the importance of this station to our community,” Gursky said.

He noted that Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Rates are required because of the CRIZ funding.

The partnership is raising funds for the project and is about $50,000 shy of its goal.

Anyone wishing to support the project can all 570-668-2770, mail checks to 18 N. Railroad St., Tamaqua, PA, 18252, or visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/9ff1565c-1ec3-48ad-b860-52c51c3af86e.

The roof work will begin as soon as today.

The station is on the National Register of Historic Places, and was featured on a U.S. postage stamp last year. It’s also the site where folks board train excursions and hosted the community’s first Railfest in 2023.