College Hill station

College Hill station
Company type	Train station
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1910
Founder	Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad
Defunct	1985
Fate	Closed and later destroyed by fire in 2017
Headquarters	Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States
Area served	Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and surrounding community
Owner	Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (until 1997), Geneva College (1997–2008), AES Realty, LLC (since 2008)

College Hill station was once a train station located in the College Hill area of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. The facility was designed by architect Joseph Ladd Neal and constructed by the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE). Although downtown Beaver Falls had separate passenger and freight stations in the past, both have since been removed.

History

Built in 1910 by the P&LE, often referred to as "The Little Giant," this station mainly catered to students attending Geneva College as well as the surrounding community. While numerous railroad stations throughout Western Pennsylvania closed between the 1950s and 1980s, College Hill continued to operate into the 1980s. During that time, P&LE ran a commuter rail service linking Beaver Falls with Pittsburgh, with College Hill serving as the northern endpoint. The final commuter train operated by P&LE ran on July 12, 1985, making College Hill the last passenger station active on the line. Following P&LE’s acquisition by CSX Transportation in 1993, the station was left unused.

Geneva College acquired the property from P&LE on December 31, 1997, for $35,000.

In 2007 and 2008, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) suggested a restoration of College Hill Station as part of a preservation initiative at Geneva College funded through The Getty Foundation Campus Heritage Grants alongside Geneva College support; nevertheless, this restoration project did not come to fruition.

On May 28, 2008, ownership transferred from Geneva College to AES Realty, LLC for $10,000 (which is roughly equivalent to $46,950 in 2008 dollars after adjusting for inflation).

Current status

As of 2016, the station building remained intact but showed signs of significant decay after being closed for more than two decades. Positioned at the bottom of a steep embankment adjacent to the Beaver River near the Eastvale Bridge, its location contributed to it being easily overlooked. No plans for rehabilitation were underway at that time. On June 19, 2017, a fire destroyed the structure entirely.

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