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Greyhound Inn

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With a deep understanding of and appreciation for historic buildings, two local investors purchased this property in 2020 with a vision of restoring the 1932 Art Deco building to its nostalgic beauty, although it had been disguised since its 1980s renovation.

Designed and constructed in 1932 by local businessman and dairyman John L. Campbell to accommodate street level retail tenants and second level apartments, the building is lauded as one of the few remaining Art Deco / Art Moderne structures still standing in Smith County. The original tenants, Eisen’s French Market and the Parisian Beauty Salon, were typical of that time and they remained until the building was purchased by Gerald Mann, former Texas Attorney General, in 1946.

Once purchased, it was converted into the Dixie-Sunshine-Trailways bus station and the Art Moderne style addition, highlighted by the curved, glass-block windows on the second level, was constructed.

Through several mergers and acquisitions, Greyhound Bus Lines became the owner, and it was during their proprietorship that the 1980s renovation took place. Although metal panels added to the exterior during this renovation were unsightly and removed during the 2020 restoration, they can take credit for preserving the beautiful brick and stone façade lying underneath.

Countless stories of people traveling through the bus station going to war, visiting family around the state, heading off to college, attending summer camps, as well as other significant memories for the people of Tyler and East Texas have been told. Honoring those memories and the rich history of the building, great pride and attention to detail has been taken to restore the Tyler Union Station / Campbell building and the property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 19, 2023.

From its original design serving Tyler and East Texas locals via retail and living spaces, to its next life as a bus station for transients, this historically relevant building has always been centered around people and is bridging the past and present by serving both locals and travelers today.


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Historic Timeline

1917 - Sam Eisen, a local peddler, returns to Tyler and reopens his market

1921-1938 - John Campbell owns and manages the Hotel Tyler

1932 - Union Bus Station/Campbell Building constructed in downtown Tyler. John Campbell develops the Campbell Building, deeded by his parents. Parisian Beauty Salon occupies retail Sam Eisen moves Eisen’s French Market into the Campbell Building

1937 - Sunshine Trailways and Dixie Trailways become part of the Trailways system

1939 - Dixie Motor Coach Corporation acquires Sunshine Bus Lines in East Texas

1945 - Dixie Motor Coach Corporation and Sunshine Bus Lines merge into Dixie-Sunshine Trailways

1946 - World War II brings expansion to the bus transportation industry in East Texas. Parisian Beauty Salon relocates to the upper story during the building's renovation for the bus station

1947 - The building was renovated when purchased by Dixie Sunshine Trailways from local businessmen Bert Wilkinson and Max and G.L. Kirkpatrick

1950's - Delay in modernizing the bus industry due to the growth of the automobile industry in East Texas

1960's - Greyhound and Continental Trailways operate as major national bus lines in Tyler

1980's - Exterior of Union Station/Campbell Building in downtown Tyler covered

1990's - Long-distance bus industry remade, serving over 4,000 East Texas communities

2020 - Greyhound Lines, Inc. sells their building

2023 - Building renovation is complete and Greyhound Inn opens, adding a new chapter to its history in downtown Tyler, Texas..

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