The nearly 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) single-story station is constructed in brown brick and textured concrete masonry units, with stylized pilasters that visually break up the long, horizontal facades.

[6] Opened in 1956, the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) depot reflects mid-century modern design popular at the time of construction.

Typical features of the mid-century modern aesthetic found in the Charleston depot include a flat roof, large groupings of windows with horizontal lights, and shallow cantilevered canopies at the first and second floors.

Red brick and dyed-green concrete panels arranged in alternating horizontal bands emphasize the building's rectilinear lines.

Public spaces feature exposed brick on the lower walls and floors of durable green terrazzo; both materials can stand the wear and tear of large crowds and are easy to maintain.

[8] On December 13, 2018, all passenger rail service was relocated to the North Charleston Intermodal Transportation Center and the former Atlantic Coast Line/Amtrak station was officially closed.

Because the station was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the City of North Charleston and CARTA made an agreement with the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that they will provide measured drawings and professional photography of the interior and exterior, to be submitted to SHPO and Clemson University as the repositories.

And salvage one of the exterior green tiles (before or during demolition) and include it and other photographs and information related to the station in the North Charleston Intermodal Transportation Center museum space.

The final design was a 32,000-square-foot (3,000 m2) two-story double-towered edifice, evoking the architecture style of the Charleston Union Station that existed from 1907 to 1947.

[1][14] In 2019, phase two of construction includes the razing of the Atlantic Coast Line depot, reconstructing the remaining half of the side platform, roadway modifications, CARTA bus turnoffs and vehicle parking.