What do burgers, a baggage station, and the late 1800s all have in common? Urban Stack.
Today, we’re diving into the history behind one of the oldest standing buildings in Chattanooga, which is now the home to one of the city’s most beloved burger joints, Urban Stack.
The building was built in 1870 and served as the Alabama and Chattanooga Railway Baggage Depot — the passenger terminal that stood nearby on the corner of Market + 13th Streets.
The Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad was renamed the Alabama Great Southern Railroad Co., and later became a subsidiary of the Southern Railway.
As Chattanooga grew to be a major hub for industrial + passenger railway services in the South, Southern Railway needed to accommodate. Enter: The construction of Terminal Station in 1906, which we all know now as the Chattanooga Choo Choo.
Services moved over to Market Street, and the station was taken down. The baggage depot became an engineering building for the railroad + the railway built its headquarters on the same block. Fun fact: The headquarters building was later given to the city to be renovated for residential use and now is known as the Market Street Lofts.
As for the baggage depot, the building sat empty for several years before Cornerstones Inc. (now Preserve Chattanooga) acquired the space from the city to be saved and renovated. After fronting the costs and engineering reports, the property was transferred to a developer.
The building was purchased by Monen Family Restaurant Group to house Urban Stack, which opened its doors in 2011. You’ll still find the original cobblestones outside of its doors + the brick arches inside the establishment.
Next time you grab a burger at this spot, take a closer look to see if you notice any glimpses of Chattanooga’s railway past.
