A historic Tennessee property made famous by the popular 1940s song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is up for sale.
Northpond Partners is asking an undisclosed amount for the former train station, according to a sales listing distributed by Berkeley Capital Advisors. Restaurants, office space, performance venues and retailers currently occupy the 63,227-square-foot building. Northpond has owned the Choo-Choo complex since 2021, according to CoStar data.
The property also includes the 127-room Hotel Chalet that features rooms in old train cars. An online link to the sales listing does not disclose whether the hotel is included in the sale. Chicago-based Northpond and Charlotte, North Carolina-based Berkeley did not respond to CoStar News' requests for comment.
The Choo-Choo is located in a rapidly developing part of Chattanooga. The neighborhood is popular with tourists and has numerous restaurants, bars and hotels within walking distance of the building. The average asking rent for retail space in the East market of downtown Chattanooga is $18.67 per square foot, higher than the citywide average of $17.51 per square foot, according to CoStar data.
Former train stations once served by passenger rail lines have emerged as popular targets for renovation and conversion into new uses. In Detroit, the 18-story Michigan Central Station reopened in 2024 as offices for Ford Motor Co. Meanwhile, construction recently started on a conversion of the long-vacant Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo, New York, into a mixed-use property.
The Choo-Choo station opened in 1909 as the Southern Railway Terminal and was later given its current name. Passenger service to the Choo-Choo ended in the early 1970s. A group of local investors renovated the building and reopened it with a Hilton hotel in 1973. Another renovation was completed in 2023.
The red brick, Beaux-Arts-style structure is known for its large neon sign of a locomotive and the words "Choo-Choo" on top of the building, visible from a nearby interstate highway.
The 1941 song "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was recorded by bandleader Glenn Miller and, in 1942, was awarded a gold record by RCA Victor for selling more than 1 million copies.