St. Louis:
Union Station

When Union Station opened in 1894, little did the builders and designers know how important this building would be not only to the State or country, but the world. At its completion, it was the largest train complex in the world, and for a brief period was the busiest station as well.

In 1891, a St. Louis architect, Theodore C. Link, won the competition for his designs for the new station. Made up of three parts, the Headhouse, the Midway and the Trainshed, the entire structure covers eleven and a half acres and contained 31 tracks. Between 1941 and 1945, 100,000 people passed through Union Station every day, along with these were President Harry Truman posing for his most famous picture as he holds a newspaper declaring "Dewey Beats Truman" as well as Winston Churchill on his way to make his famous "Iron Curtain" speech.

By 1969, trains going through Union Station were at an all time low, and the last train pulled out of the station in October 1978.

However, within five months, the structure was purchased by Oppenheimer Properties for $5.5 million dollars, ironically that price was $1 million less then the original construction cost. The challenge in the renovation was making the transportation center of St. Louis into a pedestrian friendly environment. It worked, and Union Station was reopened exactly one hundred one years after it was initially opened.

The Headhouse, originally used for ticket purchasing, passenger waiting area and a 70 room hotel and designed to resemble a medieval bastion, it now contains 67 shops and restaurants along with the 538 room Hyatt Regency Hotel. Constructed to be a covered passage for travelers, the Midway is now two levels of shops. The Trainshed, one of the largest ever built, now holds two levels of shops and restaurants, and indoor lake, a plaza for entertainment and an additional 469 hotel rooms in glass covered elegance.

Today, Union Station is the most visited location in all of St. Louis, over the St. Louis Gateway Arch and the Anheuser Bush Brewery. The 65-foot high barrel vaulted ceiling with plaster detailing, frescoes and stain glass windows are just as popular as the Brookstone store and Hooters Restaurant. Union Station is designated a National Historic Landmark, and is one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation‚s Historic Hotels of America.

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