Plans for a restaurant and university office space in a restored historic building in Winston-Salem have stalled.
The Union Station project has been in the works for more than a decade. The city spent nearly $20 million to renovate the landmark in 2014 and moved staff into the lower floor shortly after construction wrapped in 2019. But the rest of the space has remained largely unused.
This summer, Winston-Salem State University backed out of its plan to occupy the second floor. And city officials say an architect has determined a long-envisioned third-floor restaurant isn’t feasible given the building's historic features.
The news upset East Ward City Council Member Annette Scippio at a recent meeting.
“We don't have a place, a decent restaurant on that side of town. Union Station had the potential to be that," she said. "I just get disappointed because it seems like we're able to do things in other parts of this city, regardless of the money, and then we can't get it done on the East Ward.”
Scippio suggested evaluating whether the space could host a food or coffee kiosk to make the building more accessible to the general public.
City staff are now recommending marketing the third floor as a wedding venue, noting that it has already hosted several gatherings.