[This feature was published in the April 2004 issue of the Bull Sheet]
Union Stations Across the U.S.
By Beryl Frank
Kansas City, Missouri
At the end of the 19th century, the first Union Station for Kansas City was built in the West Bottoms. By 1900, it was no longer able to support the growing needs of the city.
Almost as soon as the floodwaters of 1903 went down, an architect - Jarvis Hunt - was selected as the master planner for the new Union Station. When it opened on October 30, 1914, it was the third largest train station in the country. The first trains began running in and out of the station at midnight on October 31.
The interior had a ticket office and railroad offices, a post office and a drug store. Even a small jail and emergency hospital space were included. The entire complex was lit, heated and cooled by its own power plant.
The rose brown interior walls gave visual warmth to the immense space. Union Station, both inside and out, was a sight which pleased the many travelers who passed in and out of the large, elegant building.
The days of extended travel by rail took a beating from the automobile and the airplane. By the 1950's, the need for a massive station in Kansas City was not so important to its citizens as it once was. The massive structure was too big to maintain and stood empty a ghost of what train service once was.
By 1972, Kansas City Union Station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Despite this honor, the building began to deteriorate. The renovation did not begin until 1997. The station was cleaned both inside and out. Ten million pounds of debris was removed.
The roof was completely replaced with tiles of the exact shape and color of the originals. Each roof tile weighed approximately 200 pounds. Experts from all over the country went to Kansas City to help with the restoration.
Today, Kansas City Union Station is a very vital part of the community. Whether you go to this station on Amtrak, or by any other means, you can enjoy what once was, and still is, a part of United States history and the railroads.
PHOTOS:
(Top) Union Station in 1918.
(Middle) Union Station in 2000. (photo courtesy Roy Inman)
(Bottom) The Grand Hall. It features the Union Cafe, which is a replica of the old station ticket booth. Union Station is located at Pershing Road and Main Street.
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