[4] CASO became a protected heritage building in the late-1980s and was purchased by the North America Railway Hall of Fame (NARHF) in 2005.

St. Thomas contributed $25,000 to construction and was selected as the location for CSR's headquarters; the town's population would quadruple in ten years because of the railway.

Rooms spanned the full width of the building to conserve space and to allow direct access from the street to the boarding platforms.

[3] The outstanding feature was the formal dining room; it was served by uniformed waitresses who lived in bedrooms on the second floor.

[13] Also located at the CASO Station were the Michigan Central Railroad car manufacturing shops.

[14] The station also served mixed trains heading due west to Courtright on the St. Clair River.

The on-site Ontario Heritage Trust plaque reads: The St. Thomas Canada Southern (CASO) Station, financed by American railway promoters, was constructed between 1871 and 1873 to serve as both the passenger station for St. Thomas and CASO's corporate headquarters.

The Canada Southern rail route through southwestern Ontario ultimately linked Chicago and New York City, and was instrumental in the economic development and growth of St. Thomas.

Designed in the Italianate style by Canadian architect Edgar Berryman (1839-1905), the impressive building is embellished with classical details such as pilasters, arched windows and passageways, wide eaves and a heavy cornice supported by paired brackets.

The building's design, scale and quality of interior finishes make it unique within Canadian architectural history and it stands as a symbol of the importance of railway development in southern Ontario.